Barça is already looking at it. Barça is already looking at it. Barça already thinks about it. Barça already feels it. It is the League, the title, the championship. After a night of emotions on the surface, the Blaugrana team delivered the final blow to Madrid with an added goal from Kessié. Time stopped. Lewandowski invented an assist with the spur, Balde, capital, raised his head and crossed, and the midfielder holed out. The madness at the Camp Nou for the first win against Madrid at home since 2018. Twelve rental points and a situation that wasn’t even painted.
The sign of the game could have been different because the Blaugrana outcome was preceded by a goal from Asensio in the 80th minute that would have brought Madrid to life in the League. But the VAR decreed offside. Yes, by the hair of a shrimp, but it was. The coin fell on the side of an enthusiastic and familiar Barça. Where the talent did not arrive, the heart did. Where not the finesse, the mentality. An own goal from Araújo put the Whites ahead, a good Sergi Roberto equalized on the stroke of halftime and Kessié put his signature to a victory of maximum suspense.
A blaugrana victory after a game full of nuances and alternatives, played second by second, centimeter by centimeter.
While Ancelotti repeated the eleven on Wednesday against Liverpool, Xavi only surprised with the presence of Sergi Roberto instead of Kessié in the midfield. The Reus midfielder, with a good album of memories against Madrid, would have a significant presence in the match, as would be seen later.
Before, in the preliminaries, the atmosphere of the indicated days was already breathed in the Camp Nou.
If we add to that the fact that Barcelona’s start was very interesting, it provided the ideal ingredients to generate expectations. Although Benzema tested Ter Stegen after the initial whistle, what followed were the best Blaugrana minutes in weeks.
Nothing to do with the Numantino lock of the Cup at the Bernabéu. On the contrary, Barça settled in the opposite field with the three “p’s”: passion, pressure and possession. Calm with the ball and hungry without the ball. For the first, De Jong. For the second, Gavi. In that staging, Barcelona deserved the goal. Lewandowski was close with an excellent maneuver on the front but his cocoa was repelled by Courtois. The white goalkeeper also went out of his way to deflect a header from an active Raphinha.
He enjoyed the stadium but the show would turn with a very unfortunate action. Vinícus, mobile and lucid, swung from winger to center to avoid Araújo. That misled Barça and, with Busquets very slow, the Brazilian returned to the side to connect a cross. Araújo, in his attempt to clear it, introduced it into his goal with his head.
That stroke of bad luck left Xavi’s men touched, who lost control of the ball and the rhythm of the game. Then Madrid played more. In a sleepy format with professors Kroos and Modric, in an incisive way when they turned the game towards Vinícius, who he always faced. At least Koundé and Christensen had Benzema under control. Like Militão and Rüdiger to Lewandowski. It is not that Madrid bordered on 0-2, but it did manage to disconnect a Barça that wanted to, that had a desire but at times lacked football, especially at the forefront, where only Raphinha with his dalliances gave a sense of danger. A shot from the Brazilian forced Courtois to intervene again and a cross from him sent Christensen away in a free shot.
Little by little Barça, with guts, went forward. As proof, the tie, on the verge of rest, and above all the way to achieve it. After a long attack play, Araújo broke in on the right. He crossed into the area, De Jong unloaded, Raphinha shot, Militão repelled and Sergi Roberto hunted the ball, had a moment’s pause and adjusted his shot to the post. To the tights. The Camp Nou exploded with euphoria and also the team. Somewhat important for the result and the moment.
Not even by push but Barça deserved not to lose a game that was being played from power to power.
Barça returned to the pitch ready to give continuity to the environmental climax and with the instruction to take care of the ball, with De Jong’s baton, much more precise than Busquets. With the Dutchman in charge, the Blaugrana team locked up Madrid and Lewandowski starred in another fantastic half-turn. His kick ran into Militão’s leg, providential.
Ancelotti did not see it clearly and moved the tree. Mendy and Rodrygo entered and Madrid went on to play with three points. I step forward because the tie was worse for the whites than Barça, who, despite that, did not play conservatively. Raphinha and Lewandowski, much improved, attacked the spaces and generated options. Courtois took another attempt from the winger and the Pole sent a shot off after De Jong’s serve.
But Ancelotti ordered another script twist and changed the entire midfield while Xavi placed Kessié, who would be key. Before, with those new white batteries, Asensio put Madrid ahead after sending Carvajal. 1-2 and disappointment in the stadium, but suddenly technology emerged. The VAR manifested itself. Asensio’s position, along with Koundé, had to be reviewed. The verdict was an illegal position to the delight of Barcelona fans. As in San Mamés, Barça was saved in extremis. But that was not finished. The best was left for Barcelona. Lewandowski’s maneuver, Balde’s surgical coldness and Kessié’s irruption. Barça takes a run towards the League.
