Real madrid vs barcelona full match hd december 23,2017
Real Madrid’s five-Clasico winning streak was destroyed, rather effortlessly, at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
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Heading into the clash, one knew that Barcelona had discovered something special under Xavi Hernandez. The team was performing at an unprecedented level, and the same was expected to continue against their arch-rivals.
Yet, Real Madrid were expected to give them a run for their money. After their unreal comeback against PSG in the UEFA Champions League, only a fool would call them the underdogs against a newly emerging Barcelona.
The world expected a tough fight. However, it was just too easy for Xavi’s men, who demolished their rivals by four goals. The win goes down as one of the biggest ever margins in El Clasico history.
1. One-sided till the end
When a title-winning team faces off against a relegation-threatened side, the game still proves to be a thriller. The beauty of football is the ability of two teams to display parity on the field irrespective of their status off it. When the teams involved are two of the most successful sides in world football, the margins become even tighter.
Yet, it seemed like there was only one team on the pitch for most of the game yesterday. Carlo Ancelotti’s side made a bright start to the game with chances for Rodrygo and Federico Valverde. Yet, once they lost control in the 15th minute, they never seemed to have a way back.
Barcelona not just dominated the possession but toyed around with Los Blancos at their own den. With every goal they scored, the fire burned brighter in the Blaugrana players. The hunger and desire to win showed, while Real Madrid faced quite the opposite.
Barcelona finished the game with 60% of the possession and a whopping ten shots on target. They had seven big chances and missed four of them on the night.
2. Xavi’s wise defensive choices
The one position that worried Cules ahead of the clash was right-back. Vinicius Jr was arguably Real Madrid’s most in-form player available for the Clasico, and controlling him would account for so much of the result.
Dani Alves was the only available option for Xavi as a natural right-back, but his slow legs were not the optimal choice against a pacey Real Madrid. Sergino Dest’s injury meant he could not be a part of the squad.
Ronald Araujo was the chosen one on the night by Xavi. The Uruguayan started at right-back and pocketed Vinicius throughout the game. His perfectly timed tackles and pace made him the perfect marker for the Brazilian winger.
Moreover, his place on the flank gave Xavi a chance to start Eric Garcia at centre back. The Spaniard had a phenomenal game with a passing accuracy of 98%. It goes without saying that his distribution was a big boost for the Catalans.
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3. The midfield battle
The likes of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong were expected to be put to a tough test against the seasoned combination of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro. Much like the overall contest, the midfield battle did not live up to its hype either.
It was just too easy on the night for Barcelona’s young midfielders. The fault was partly on Ancelotti for his flawed tactics that saw Modric and Kroos press up high. Yet, one must credit the Blaugrana midfielders for not putting a step wrong.
The trio had a combined five key passes against Real Madrid and completed six successful dribbles. De Jong played a more advanced role and regularly found line breaking combinations with Ousmane Dembele and Aubameyang. Meanwhile, Pedri controlled the tempo of the game and was at the centre of every Catalan attack.
4. Aubameyang x Dembele: Run it back
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele formed a terrific duo for Borussia Dortmund alongside Christian Pulisic. With two of them reunited at Barcelona now, the sparks don’t seem to stop flowing.
Barcelona’s opening goal was only possible because of the chemistry between the two forwards. Dembele was a thorn in Nacho’s foot as he constantly found ways to slip past him. It was on one such occasion that the Frenchman sent in a well-timed cross that the Gabonese striker headed past Courtois.
Dembele played a role in the second goal too. The winger sent in a perfectly flighted corner kick into Los Blancos’ box, and Araujo met it with an unstoppable header.
Barcelona’s final two goals had Aubameyang’s stamp all over them as well. The former Arsenal striker pulled off an exquisite no-look pass to Ferran Torres for the third goal, before receiving the favour for Barcelona’s final one.
5. The best possible announcement to Europe
The last time Barcelona met Real Madrid, they went down fighting in extra time. At the time, the performance was said to be a ‘moral victory’, and club captain Gerard Pique acknowledged that they were closer to defeating Los Blancos.
The veteran defender’s tweet after Sunday’s game says it all. Almost immediately after the game ended, Pique tweeted, “We are back.” on his Twitter, instantly receiving support from Cules.
The slaughter of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu is a slap in the faces of those who mocked Barcelona’s celebration of a moral victory the last time around.
More importantly, it comes as a loud and clear announcement to Europe that something special is cooking once again at the Camp Nou. With a few good signings in the summer transfer window, Barcelona could be back competing amongst the big boys next season.
