Thank goodness the football gods thanked for putting El Clasico in front and center on Saturday night.
The Premier League decided to take the evening off putting Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion against each other for the 17th time this season and instead put their feet up to watch the right football.
And wasn’t that the best decision they made in a while?
Many probably assumed that Saturday’s clash would have been a bit of a damp trick. After all, the quality of football this season has dropped all over the world, La Liga and their giants are far from the top of their strengths, and the fact that the match was played at Real Madrid’s training ground made it all feel a bit.
Of course there were vibes before the start. One thing that was stacked in favor of this fight was its importance at the top of the table. Atletico Madrid started the night at the summit and knew it was unlikely they would be there a couple of hours later.
Barcelona was one point behind the league leaders, and Madrid were two points behind La Blaugrana. So the story was clear: Win El Clasico, go to the top of La Liga and land a psychological blow to your opponents that is so damaging that the rest of the season will tail.
Last kick before # ElClásico. pic.twitter.com/crbRJqZFUt
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 10, 2021
There was so much at stake that an attribute of 0-0 and a humble division of the prey was not entirely out of the question.
What we were treated to, however, was one of the best Clasico in living memory. Both teams came out of the blocks at a stormy pace, with Barça controlling possession and creating beautiful patterns around the Madrid box, while the hosts waited in place, ready to launch blowing counter-attacks.
The game followed that pattern from the beginning, and it was Madrid who first struck through a brilliant Karim Benzema back heel and got everyone surprised. If we were worried that the game would lack quality, the Frenchman had just told us all to sit down and enjoy the show.
Barça may have felt unlucky to be behind, and even more so when Toni Kroos’ deflected free kick doubled the lead. That line of results left the visitors nothing to lose at this point, and they went in search of goals.
? MOOD. # ElClásico pic.twitter.com/zpB35JFr5w
– Real Madrid CF ???? (@realmadriden) April 10, 2021
It was an incredible spectacle, with Barça slashing out and missing chances, only for Madrid to break at devastating speed in an attempt to kill the game. Vinicius Junior delivered another sensational display to increase their match-winning performance against Liverpool, while Benzema, Kroos and Luka Modric all turned back the clock.
But Ronald Koeman’s men were not ready to miss the chance to go to the top of the table in a hurry. Lionel Messi had already hit the crossbar directly from a corner and Thibaut Courtois had produced a series of world-class saves to keep his goal untouched.
But Oscar Mingueza’s strike early in the second half completely changed the complexity of the game, as Madrid leaned back and drowned out the pouring rain, as well as a barrage of attacks.
Messi demanded a change of shirt, Martin Braithwaite asked for a penalty and Ilaix Moriba crossed the crossbar with the last kick of the game, but somehow Madrid survived. Both teams gave their all, aware of the importance of the result and culminated in a total of 33 shots in 90 minutes.
? – Messi feels the cold, he asks for another shirt on top of another. pic.twitter.com/JYqBUZWP6h
– ??? ???? ? (@TheEuropeanLad) April 10, 2021
Not bad for a game that has lost touch in recent years. Barcelona fell at the last whistle, while Real celebrated wildly in the heavy rain. The win placed Zinedine Zidane’s men at the top of La Liga, expelling Atleti for the first time in eternity.
While Diego Simeone’s men boast a game in hand, the psychological pain of having to chase the champions may be the final nail in their shaky title attack. And when it comes to Barça, they know they are still just one point from the top of the table, which makes very little difference to the pre-kick-off scenes.
However, Koeman’s side left their heart and soul on the pitch on Saturday night, and the Dutchman will have a hell of a job on his hands to pick them up from the floor after such a crushing defeat.
Three teams, now separated by one point with eight games to play, behind one of the best derbies in history. All we can say is, thank goodness we were free to watch it.
