“With Kessié’s goal we went crazy”, summed up Sergi Roberto, euphoric and exultant. Just like the rest of his colleagues. Never had a sentence been so exact, so clear and so faithful to define the stamp that was experienced yesterday at the Camp Nou. With Xavi Hernández taking off his jacket. Celebrating with fists in the air with the public and with their footballers a triumph in the last gasp against the eternal rival. The one that gave victory to his beloved Barça. Which meant three more points with the flavor of a league title. “A year ago they had 12 points more than us. Now it’s the other way around. I got goosebumps. It’s been one of the best days since I’ve been a coach. The team has emptied itself and demonstrated its power”, euphorically summed up the Barcelona coach, who directed his first classic at the Camp Nou. . “Winning it at Real Madrid at the last moment proves us. It’s 12 points and it’s a big step. You need to start appreciating this team. This League can only be lost by us”, he stressed.
Before celebrating, Xavi suffered from the bench. With the Negreira case hovering over the Camp Nou, the coach tried to remain calm in the face of referee Burgos Bengoetxea’s actions. Rarely, the coach only protested twice when he saw that the referee did not caution Nacho after he poked Raphinha with his arm and when Asensio scored for offside. “We are making an extraordinary League. My players suffer, they are criticized and they earn it on the field”, claimed the coach. He was mainly referring to Sergi Roberto, his chosen eleven to replace the long-lost Pedri. The one from Reus scored the equalizing goal to calm the spirits of the Camp Nou. “He has made a supporter. I don’t know what to say about him. He deserves it. If he was in another team, they would value him much more”, said the coach. “I appreciate the trust in Xavi and the board. There is a lot left. Madrid should never take it for granted”, explained the player from Reus, who was crowned MVP of the match. The Camp Nou applauded him. “I had doubts until the last moment whether to put Sergi or Kessié, both contribute a lot”, explained the coach. “In the end we both won”, said Sergi Roberto, who had just been renewed.
On the other side of the board, Carlo Ancelotti was chewing gum. A gesture as traditional as his clothing: an impeccable suit accompanied by the Real Madrid pin. Despite being an expert coach at facing and winning big finals, the Italian looked nervous. The pressure was on his Real Madrid, who, in the event of a loss, would say goodbye almost definitively to the League in mid-March. Too early. “We are sad and hurt. I think we played a great game. It is difficult for us to win this League. There is a lot of downside. But we will continue working to win the games we have left”, summed up Ancelotti, who did not want to leave the Blaugrana feud without talking about Asensio’s disallowed goal. “We leave with the doubt of offside. It is not clear”. “I am surprised that Ancelotti said this. There is no debate. It’s a very clear offside”, replied Xavi.
It had been almost 5 years since Barcelona had beaten Real Madrid at Camp Nou. The last time was in October 2018. Soon there will be a new final. It will be on April 5 in the semi-final classic of the Cup. “We deserved much more. But we have a very beautiful year ahead of us. There is the Cup and the Champions League,” recalled Courtois. Meanwhile, Gavi was giving away his shirt. And the whole team celebrated the victory in the central circle. In the background, the entertainment stand recreated the traditional One day of the match, I went to the Camp Nou. Yesterday, the Camp Nou, despite being under construction, recorded its best start of the season.
