Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday to move closer to claiming the first LaLiga championship since 2019. Franck Kessie scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time. For the best sports betting casinos of March 2023, you know what the place is – CasinoDaddy!
After excellent work from Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde, Kessie scored at the far post to give Barcelona a 12-point advantage over their Clasico opponents at the top of the standings.
Ronald Araujo’s own goal gave Madrid the lead in the ninth minute, while Sergi Roberto tied the score for Barcelona right before halftime. Late in the game, Madrid’s Marco Asensio had a goal disallowed for offside before substitute Kessie scored to the joy of the 95,000-person crowd.
After the victory, Barcelona increased their lead over Real Madrid in second place in LaLiga by 12 points.
Barcelona celebrates El Clasico victory as if they have already won LaLiga
Even though Barcelona has not officially won LaLiga, Kessie’s late goal made it feel that way.
The Barcelona players gathered in the center of the field after the final whistle before joining the celebration with supporters behind the goal. With 12 games remaining, Xavi Hernandez’s team has a 12-point lead over Real Madrid. To put that gap into perspective, Barcelona has only lost 10 points all year.
This matchup could not have been more unlike their cagey Copa del Rey matchup two weeks ago, in which Barcelona won 1-0. In this match, both teams had opportunities to win, and as they battled for victory, they produced an exciting conclusion.
Barca will believe that they had the better opportunity. Both Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha had opportunities to score, but Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid made many crucial stops to keep his team in the game. Madrid, though, had their opportunities once the second half started.
When given the ball in the box by Madrid, Rodrygo Goes could have handled it better, and Karim Benzema had many opportunities on either side of Asensio’s disallowed goal. But, when Real Madrid pursued the goal, Carlo Ancelotti’s team was exposed at the back.
On the LaLiga standings, Real Madrid could have passed Barcelona by six points. Instead, the difference now stands at 12.
Barcelona has defeated Madrid in three straight matches in all competitions for the first time since Pep Guardiola’s 2011–12 campaign: once in the Super Cup, once in the Copa del Rey, and now this time in LaLiga.
Barcelona had also triumphed in four of the previous five games under Xavi. The longest losing streak in the Clasico at Camp Nou was three games, and it had been 1,603 days since a 5-1 triumph in 2018.
Raphinha put up a strong effort, but Kessie’s goal, a stunning extra-time victory, will undoubtedly go down as the game’s most memorable moment.
Raphinha was excellent on the right of Barcelona’s attack, both with and without the ball, despite not having a direct hand in either of the goals. With him, Nacho Fernandez was unable to contend.
Madrid must use the Copa del Rey to get revenge
Asensio was deemed offside when Rodrygo passed the ball, although VAR needed some time to reach this conclusion. If the goal had been upheld, we would discuss the reigniting of the Spanish title race. Instead, after having a league-high eighth goal rejected by VAR, Ancelotti’s squad will concentrate on other matches.
Madrid will return to Camp Nou on April 5 for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. Madrid is down 1-0 from the previous match, but this late loss will give them more drive. The Blancos remain in the Champions League, too, with a quarterfinal against Chelsea coming up after the international break.
