Barcelona hosted Real Madrid at the Camp Nou as Barcelona dismantle Real Madrid 5-1. With Ronaldo departing Madrid for Juventus and Messi out with an arm injury, this is the first El Clasico since 2007 without Messi or Ronaldo featuring.
Since the beginning of the game, Barcelona were already seen the better side. Philippe Coutinho gave Barcelona the lead after just 11 minutes after getting an assist from Jordi Alba. Both players were in immense form today on the left side of the field, causing Madrid serious problems. In the 28th minute Raphael Varane clumsy challenge takes down Suarez in the penalty area and referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez gets under pressure from this. Martinez uses VAR for the first time in El Clasico history and Barcelona are awarded a penalty. Luis Suarez takes the penalty and scores on the bottom left corner. Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtouis guessed the right way but Suarez tuck it right underneath him. The first half ends 2-0 with Barcelona looking clearly the better side.
The second half begins and Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui knew his side needed goals and takes out defender Varane for Lucas Vasquez. Marcelo equalizes for Madrid in the 50th minute giving Real Madrid hope for a come back, but Barcelona were just on another level. Sergi Roberto crosses the ball to Luis Suarez on the right side of 18 yard box and Suarez scores a beautiful header a few feet back from the penalty spot, making it 3-1 in the 75th minute. In the 83rd minute Madrid defender Sergio Ramos makes a mistake and Sergi Roberto takes advantage. Roberto gives a through ball to Suarez and El Pistolero fantastically chips Courtouis, completing his hat-trick. Barcelona wasn’t finished just yet, substitutes Ousmane Dembele and Arturo Vidal made their impact in the game, with Dembele crossing the ball from the left flank with Vidal heading the ball in. Game finishes Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid .
Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has been under pressure this season failing to replace Zidane. Now losing 4 games in La Liga and 5 in all competitions, Lopetegui has his job on the line with Real Madrids disappointing performances. Losing 5-1 to bitter rivals Barcelona puts immense pressure on Lopetegui, with Madrid fans calling for him to be sacked. After winning the Champions League last season for the third year in a row, this Madrid side looks completely lost after losing manger Zidane and star man, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona look to have an excited season coming for them, being first in the league and showing they’re a team who doesn’t need to rely on Lionel Messi. With the signings they’ve made this season and performances, this Barcelona side is aiming to win the Champions League this season, since they last won it when they completed the treble in the 2014/2015 season.
Alex's Soccer Blog 