El Clásico, also known as El derbi español, is the name given in football to any match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Real Madrid leads Barcelona, 88 to 85 according to the official records. Madrid has scored 364 times while Barcelona has netted 351 times.
Despite the many overeager claims that he doesn't come through in the big matches, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive 73rd-minute goal in Real Madrid's vital 2-1 win over Barcelona. He has now scored in four of Real Madrid's last five games against Barca (plus Real Madrid's extra-time winner against Barca in last season's Copa del Rey final) and his latest virtually seals the league title by extending Real's lead over Barcelona to seven points with four matches left to play.
According to the Soccer Power Index, Real Madrid has a 99.2 percent chance to win the league now, needing just 2 wins in their last 4 games to mathematically clinch La Liga
Madrid went ahead in the 18th after a pair of defensive errors by Barcelona. Goalkeeper Victor Valdes failed to hold on to a corner headed down by Karim Benzema and Carles Puyol was slow to clear, allowing the German midfielder Khedira to poke the ball across the goalline to silence the 99,252 fans.
Guardiola sent on Alexis in the 69th and one minute later the Chile striker tapped in a rebound of a shot by Adriano to give Barcelona some hope.
But Ronaldo quickly crushed any thoughts of a Barcelona fightback when he galloped behind the defence to latch onto Mesut Ozil's pass and fire by Valdes in the 73rd to put a fitting final touch to Madrid's stout performance with his career-best 54th goal in all competitions this season.
Last win for Madrid in the league came on May 7, 2008 at Santiago Bernabéu when Madrid defeated Barcelona 4-1. It was the same season in which Madrid won the La Liga title. Barcelona winning it three time since then.
In the last seven matches, Barcelona has scored 20 times, Madrid only scoring five times. With the May 2009 match being the highest scoring match, which Barcelona won 6-2.
Here are some other points of note from Saturday's El Clasico:
• Real Madrid won its 14th league match on the road in 2011-12, tying the single-season record established by Barcelona last season. It's also the first time Jose Mourinho has ever won at the Nou Camp, in his 10th try.
• Barcelona lost at home for the first time in 55 matches across all competitions, since a September 2010 loss to Hercules. Barca also lost consecutive matches for the first time since May 2009, by which point its league title that season was already secured.
• Ronaldo's goal gives him a one-goal lead on Lionel Messi in the race for the scoring title, extending the single-season La Liga scoring record. The goal was his 42nd league goal this season, and his 54th across all competitions, both career highs. Real Madrid also set a single-season La Liga team scoring record with its 108th and 109th goals.
• Real Madrid completed 171 passes, its fewest in a La Liga/Champions League match over the last two seasons. Cristiano Ronaldo completed just two passes in the final third, tied for his fewest in a La Liga/Champions League match over the same time span.
• Real Madrid and Barcelona were stout in defense, making it nearly impossible for one another to pass the ball into the penalty area. Real Madrid and Barcelona completed just five and nine passes into the penalty area, respectively, the fewest this season for either team.
• Real Madrid avenged their 3-1 loss to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu on Dec. 10. Only two teams have lost El Clasico at home and gone on to win La Liga -- Barcelona in 1928-29 and Real Madrid in 1975-76.
No comments:
Post a Comment