Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 in the big derby of the ninth round of La Liga. Carlo Ancelotti’s team continues to be undefeated in the league and remains at the top with 25 points.
It was Xavi’s first team defeat. Barcelona are left with 22 points.
The guests made the first final in the match in the 5th minute with Rafinha’s kick, but Lunin blocked it. In the 7th minute, Vinicius struck from the penalty area, parried the ball and got into the corner.
Five minutes later, Kroos gave a beautiful ball to Vinicius. Ter Stegen blocked the Brazilian’s shot, but Benzema later successfully converted the ball to Real Madrid 1-0.
In the 26th minute, Barcelona missed a rare equalizer opportunity when Lewandowski missed from a vantage point. Shortly thereafter, Rafinha’s shot missed the target. The guests continued to threaten, but to no avail.
However, Real Madrid made the score 2-0 with Valverde’s lightning on the 34th. minute, thin. In the 37th minute, De Jong entered the penalty area, but Lunin parried his shot.
At 50 The hosts had another good moment for a minute, but Kroos’ cross was out of bounds. In the 52nd minute, Benzema scored a goal, but the goal was not counted after the Frenchman was found offside at the beginning of the period.
The pace of the match has dropped noticeably. Real Madrid tried to threaten Vinicius and Benzema, but their efforts did not reach the goal.
On the other hand, Barcelona seemed to have no solutions. The guests had good moments together just before the 80-minute mark with Lewandowski and Fati. Ferran Torres reduced Xavi’s lead in the 83rd minute, resuming interest in the derby.
Barcelona missed a great equalizer opportunity in the 87th minute when Fati’s shot went wide. In the 90th minute, Real Madrid converted a penalty after Garcia tripped Rodrigo. The same player took over the execution and made it 3–1, effectively ending the derby.
Real Madrid (Ancelotti): Lunin, Carvajal (Ridinger 88), Militao, Alaba, Mendy, Zwameni, Kroos, Modric (Camavinga 78), Valverde, Benzema (Asensio 88), Vinicius (Rodrigo 85)
Barcelona (Xavi): Ter Stegen, Roberto, Cute, Garcia, Balde (Alba 60), Busquets (Gavi 60), Pedri (Kessir 83), De Jong, Dembele, Lewandowski, Rafinha (Torres 60)
Source: Kathimerini
Lori Barajas is an accomplished journalist, known for her insightful and thought-provoking writing on economy. She currently works as a writer at 247 news reel. With a passion for understanding the economy, Lori’s writing delves deep into the financial issues that matter most, providing readers with a unique perspective on current events.