Liveblog: Real Madrid v Barcelona - El Clasico!

By: Steve | May 7th, 2008

HALA MADRID! Eto’o, cabron! Saluda al campeon! God, i LOVE that chant. Anyway, tonight is the somewhat anticlimactic second Clasico of the season, which will be broadcast here in the UK on Sky Sports 1 at 9pm GMT. Los Merengues have already sewn up the Liga title as I’m sure we’re all well aware, but Barcelona still has automatic Champions League qualification to fight for, and of course, a matter of pride.

Heinze got his yellow card rescinded, which has pissed off legions of Barca cules to no end, and that means he’ll be available. Cannavaro meanwhile is stuck with both his yellows, meaning he’s out for this match, though to be honest, Real did look the better side without him on Sunday, strangely enough.

As Corey mentioned in a previous comment thread, he doesn’t have time for a preview and I’m writing this at work at the moment, so I’ll steer you, reluctantly, to the Barcelona Offside blog and their preview.

Schuster knows this match will be important for all Madridistas, so with Barca coming in with all guns blazing, I expect a fairly safe lineup, meaning both Gago and Diarra in holding roles. With Cannavaro out, I expect a backline of Ramos, Pepe, Heinze and Marcelo, since Torres has not shown quite the same form he did last year, and I think Marcelo has the footspeed to keep up with Messi. In the midfield, it’ll be Gago, Diarra, Sneijder and Robben, with Robinho and Baptista has likely impact subs. And up front, it’ll be Raul, as always, and I’ll pick ~~Ruud~~ Higuain to start over ~~Saviola~~ Ruud (thanks Louise for pointing out the teamsheet).

Alright, 5.5 hours to game time! Woohoo!

UPDATE: Check out this link, thanks to Joe in the comments of the Barca Offside preview… I thought at first it was a few sportsman-like Barca fans giving the pasillo, but it turns out they’re just hired actors. Doh. Oh well, leave it to Marca to overhype the whole thing as “el pasillo del siglo” - the tunnel of the century. Heheh.

3min: Sorry, laptop is starting up slow, and they started the match early! I only switched over at 8.55pm, and they were already on the pitch… i missed the pasillo… damn it!
3min: Robben with an early chance, but shot it straight at Valdes…
4min: The back four is as I predicted, but Guti makes it into the midfield as well, with Robben playing further up as a forward. Ruud and Higuain are both subs.
6min: A good start for Real, though it’s as much the wayward passing from Barca, in particular Henry and Gudjohnsen, than anything Real has done…
6min: Robben is popping up on both wings, alternating between the left and right…
7min: Oh! Valdes almost botches his clearance by dribbling too much…
8min: Great movement by Real in the early going, attacking up the left wing through Marcelo. The throughball into the Barca box is just a tad heavy though…
10min: It’s end-to-end action… Barca usually advancing through Gudjohnsen or Xavi, Real going up the middle with Guti and Gago…
13min: GOAL!!! Raul strikes a curler around Valdes after great touch passing from Robben, Sneijder, and then Guti… Raul’s 18th of the season, and 15th in Clasicos… Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona.
14min: Looks like Guti may have clipped a Barca defender (Xavi?) on that last touch before Raul scores… I’m sure Barca fans won’t like that.
15min: Barca is now pushing forward a lot, Real is getting loads of space in the midfield…
16min: Zambrotta takes down Marcelo right at the edge of the box… free kick to Real from 20 yards out…
18min: Oh! Valdes is having a horrible game… off a Real corner, he botches a long shot from Gago and it almost falls to a lurking Raul…
20min: Yellow card on Yaya Toure for dissent. Sergio Ramos goes to ground a little too easy, but the ref sees it as obstruction by Abidal. Another free kick for Real, from the right wing…
21min: GOAL!!! Great ball from Guti lands right on Robben’s head and into the net. Where are all the Barca markers? Zambrotta on Robben is a mismatch. Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona.
24min: Wow, a substitution already for Barca? Gudjohnsen, who admittedly is playing like bollocks, comes off for… Giovani.
26min: Free kick for Barca… Henry takes it, from 21-22 yards out, but it’s wide of the goal.
30min: Real is really taking it to Barca. The blaugrana are totally lackadaisical on defense, it’s quite embarrassing…
31min: Argh, total waste of a chance… Real aren’t lacking for chances in the box, unlike other matches… Barca’s defense is allowing loads of possession into the box, but a fancy Dan backheel from Guti turns the ball over…
33min: Ooh… Giovani is JUST offside… looks like he wouldn’t have been able to round Casillas, but still…
34min: Foul on Diarra gives Real another free kick from the centre of the pitch, about 35 yards out…
34min: Oh! Sneijder slides the ball over to Guti, who hits the target, but a good save from Valdes and keeps it away from any Real players…
36min: A rampaging Henry makes it through 3 defenders, before laying off to Messi who fouls Gago… he continues his run though and is laid out by a Pepe hip check (as they say in hockey)… I know who my favourite defender is now!
37min: Oh… Sneijder darts into the box, and Raul gets the ball on the right and loses Abidal with a quick shake but can’t square the ball before the French defender kicks it out for a corner…
39min: Wow… great, crisp passing from Real, even from guys like Diarra… Barca’s defense is totally playing off the attackers, giving guys like Guti and Sneijder loads of time on the ball.
40min: OH!!! Robben gets two chances on goal… first one he gets off in traffic with hardly any backlift but it’s saved, and then Barca botch the clearance and Robben gets another chance but misses the goal…
41min: Sneijder picks up a yellow for fouling Marquez.
42min: Barca counter up the left with Bojan, but nothing really dangerous happens…
43min: OH! Real are all over Barca… Diarra spins around some turnstile defending by Henry, and goes out wide to Ramos who’s shot/pass just barely gets past Raul at the far post. SO CLOSE!
45+1min: Real’s defending is tough, but they’re solid so far… Bojan tries to shoot through 4 defenders, but gets clipped by Gago… free kick for Barca from 25 yards out…
45+1min: Xavi’s quick chip misses the target.
45+2min: Ooh, Robben’s just offside…
HALFTIME: And that’s the first half.
HALFTIME: Well, there’s only one word to describe that first half for Madrid: dominant.
HALFTIME: If it weren’t for the hype, this could be Real v Villarreal or Valencia. That’s how poorly Barca is defending at the moment. Where is Puyol? Where is Marquez? They’ve been invisible.
HALFTIME: Hey, if Raul is getting loads of touches, you know they’re not doing something right. How invisible was Raul against Osasuna? Now? He’s everywhere.
HALFTIME: Frank Rijkaard has the distinction of being the only Barca manager to have won the Clasico in Madrid more than once, but this is a pitiful performance from Barcelona thus far.
HALFTIME: The ref has been admittedly poor… First, the non-call on Guti, and then the phantom foul on Abidal, both have led directly to the Real goals.
HALFTIME: But still, Real have really been the dominant team, and you can’t say that the score is undeserved.
HALFTIME: Man of the first half for me has to be Robben. He’s been a total jackrabbit, popping up all over the pitch in dangerous places, showing great touch on the ball and good movement.
HALFTIME: Ok, probably no changes for Real after halftime, not sure I would say the same about Barca…
46min: Wow, i was right… Marquez is off for Sylvinho. A purely defensive switch, with Sylvinho going into leftback and Abidal switching to the middle…
46min: Ugh, the refs and assistants are horrible. A clear corner for Barca gets overturned, as the officials miss Bojan’s header that goes off of Heinze…
48min: Ouch, a Sylvinho foul on Ramos right to the crown jewels… free kick for Real from the right wing… Guti boots it in, but it’s cleared quickly by Barcelona.
50min: A yellow card on Henry for clipping Pepe… the Brazilian-slash-Portuguese defender’s footspeed does not cease to amaze me.
51min: Wow, fantastic touch passing by Real, 15 yard passes weaving in and out of Barca’s defense, but the result is a slightly offside Marcelo…
52min: Does Barcelona even want to win this match? It sure seems a far cry from the Clasico two years ago where the Bernabeu crowd gave Ronaldinho a standing ovation…
53min: Diarra blasts one on target from 30 yards out, but it’s right at Valdes.
54min: Ooh, Raul turns Abidal off the ball again, but again the French defender comes back and recovers on a good tackle.
56min: Ooh, Diarra again gets a shot off, this time from the right, but this time it’s off target on the far side.
57min: Oh! Madrid is playing out of their minds… Guti springs the offside trap and goes in alone, but tries to square for ~~Raul~~ Marcelo who gets bundled over trying to get to the ball… no fouls and Barca is able to clear.
58min: Strange, a yellow card on Valdes… hahaha, on replay, it looks like he gets it for diving. That’s hilarious.
59min: OH! A corner by Sneijder lands for Diarra but the Malian’s touch is cleared off the line by Xavi…
60min: Last sub for Barcelona… Sylvinho comes off for Edmilson. He must’ve injured himself to be coming off after 15 minutes.
62min: Robben gets subbed off for Higuain, the super sub.
63min: GOAL!!! Higuain, with his first touch! Diarra bundles up the right and squares for the Argentinian who splits two Barca defenders and nets it. What a week for Higuain - the new Ruud? Real Madrid 3-0 Barcelona.
65min: Barcelona finally counter well, but Henry shoots it wide left, with another attacker to his right…
66min: Just fantastic touch passing from Real… they’re just toying with the Barca midfield now.
67min: Oh! Marcelo cuts in from Zambrotta’s marking and his right-footed shot is parried by Valdes, who’s clearly upset with his porous defense.
69min: Ooh, another close, possibly incorrect, offside call on Giovani… one of these days, they’re going to get it right.
70min: Barca are clearly lacking a midfield engine. For all their riches up front, they’re not getting any service.
72min: Robinho comes on for Guti.
74min: Raul is absolutely abusing Abidal any time they’re one-on-one… this time, he causes a seemingly innocuous ball to be cleared by Valdes for a corner.
76min: Barcelona are wasting any chances they actually do manage to get… a heavy pass is too far for Xavi, up the right wing.
76min: Last sub for Real… Ruud comes on for Raul.
76min: What? The ref has called a penalty…
77min: Well, you can’t say that it wasn’t the right call. Puyol brings both hands up to block Robinho’s shot-slash-cross, which might explain why it went so wayward when I saw it live…
78min: Ruud to take it… first touch of the match…
78min: GOAL! Ruud sends Valdes going the wrong way, side-footing the ball low to the right side. It’s officially a rout. Real Madrid 4-0 Barcelona.
79min: Oh! Valdes stops a fifth Real goal coming out to push away a cross that was looking for Ruud. He looks like he’s the only one fighting back against a Real tsunami.
80min: Sweet! Robinho absolutely nutmegs Zambrotta with 4 stepovers, but the cross was cleared.
82min: Oh! Barca’s best chance, with Messi faking out Heinze and stepping in to curl a shot that Casillas may or may not have gotten his fingertips on… but it’s barely wide in any case.
84min: Madrid are really playing strong up the middle… Diarra and Gago have been outstanding.
86min: Ooh, Higuain springs Ruud, who tries to chip over Valdes, but it’s too short.
86min: Oh! Messi goes around Marcelo and then blasts it on Casillas… the keeper wins, though Barca get the corner…
87min: … which is played short to Messi who skies it.
88min: GOAL! Henry gets inside from Sergio Ramos and runs onto the throughball and it’s a classic Henry finish. The clean sheet is gone, but the match is still in hand. Real Madrid 4-1 Barcelona.
89min: Robinho dribbles up through an empty Barca midfield and then runs into the rock of Puyol.
90+1min: 3 minutes of extra time.
90+2min: Pepe fouls Henry a couple yards outside the box… free kick from the left side…
90+2min: … but the kick hits the wall. Well done, Los Merengues!
90+2min: Eh? Xavi gets a second yellow card and of course the red too… when did he get his first?
90+3min: And it’s over!
POSTGAME: Well, that was a thorough dismantling of a clearly disheartened Barcelona team.
POSTGAME: The Sky commentators are talking about Barca like they were talking about Real 2 years ago… no heart, too many egos, people playing for themselves… and why is Real still getting vilified by some people?
POSTGAME: First goal, a fantastic curling shot by Raul, though it probably shouldn’t have counted after Guti’s non-foul on Marquez.
POSTGAME: Second goal, a cracking free kick from Guti lands on a platter for Robben who loses Zambrotta’s marking to head it in. Of course, the free kick comes from a phantom Abidal foul on Sergio Ramos who really should’ve gotten the booking for simulation.
POSTGAME: Third goal, a great finish by Higuain after Diarra strips the ball from Giovani and races down the wing before squaring for the Argentinian.
POSTGAME: Fourth goal, a cool penalty taken by Ruud, correctly given for Puyol’s handball in the box.
POSTGAME: Barca’s goal, a clinical, classic Henry goal, racing in from the left onto a throughball and blasting past Casillas.
POSTGAME: So much for Real not having anything to play for and Barcelona playing for that automatic Champions League place… Real looked like the hungrier team and played just magnificently.
POSTGAME: Barca is really in danger of finishing the season out of the top 2 spots, meaning they’ll have to start their Champions League run from the qualifiers. Those are usually full of small league minnows, but you never know…
POSTGAME: Barca boss Joan Laporta lost a bet I read he made with a friend that Barca would win 5-0. Was he really that confident after the Catalans’ 6-0 win over Valencia? I mean, come on, it’s Valencia. They’re the Knicks of La Liga.
POSTGAME: Rijkaard is done. There’s going to be carnage at the Camp Nou this offseason.
POSTGAME: At the Bernabeu though, it’s a second straight Liga title and the double Clasico wins. Surely we are still on the ascendancy, with our young squad.
POSTGAME: Ok, I’ll leave the future prognostications for another post, but now, on to the individual scorecards!
POSTGAME: Casillas didn’t have much work, but he stonewalled Messi a couple times and you can’t really fault him on Barca’s only goal. Still Spain’s clear number one keeper.
POSTGAME: Ramos and Marcelo were vicious going forward, with great timing on their runs and good movement. I was particularly impressed by Marcelo, who had a great game. Ramos pretty much dove on that non-foul by Abidal, literally jumping into the air with both legs cocked, while Abidal pivoted out of his way… and the young Spanish international also allowed Henry to get inside him for his goal. Heinze and Pepe were pretty solid in the centre. Heinze bit hard on Messi’s fake, but come on, i think all of us would’ve. He’s also got to rein in that temper. Pepe, well, I already said he’s my new favourite defender. Solid, just solid.
POSTGAME: Gago and Diarra were massive. Protecting the back four, they did well to stop attacks before they even started, intercepting balls and starting counterattacks. Haran pointed out that Gago looks nervous on the ball when pressured, which is a bit true, but he’s really come into his own of late. And Diarra… I’ve been saying it the past few liveblogs, but that boy has skills. He hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunity to show them til now, but he’s got some moves and they’re coming to the fore now. Guti was un-Guti-like, in that we didn’t see him go to ground without a touch, at least I didn’t. His touch and vision, however, WERE Guti-like, and that’s a good thing. Sneijder played his usual box-to-box game. Good touches and he looks like he’s back on top form again. Does he remind anyone else of a mini-Steven Gerrard? He can’t carry the team on his back like the Englishman, but he sure does have similar skills…
POSTGAME: Raul was his industrious, opportunistic self, bagging the first goal with a cracking curling shot. He abused Abidal in and around the box. Robben was great, as I mentioned at halftime. He was everywhere and his header goal was pure class.
POSTGAME: Higuain came on and immediately made an impact, with a sublime finish for the third Madrid goal. He didn’t quite mesh so well when Ruud came on as he had to drop back, but still, he’s clearly come of age now. Robinho was a bit quiet, though his mazy runs up the left showed just how terrible Zambrotta has been this year, and of course, it was his shot that Puyol had to push away with his hands that led to Ruud’s penalty goal. And finally, Ruud van GOOOOOLLLL… it’s great to have him back… he’s simply peerless when it comes to movement in the final third of the pitch. He showed a bit of rust today though, but the penalty taken was classic Ruud.
POSTGAME: So all in all, a fantastic performance, regardless of the opponent, and the fact it’s Barcelona makes it all the sweeter.
POSTGAME: Real Madrid, the true champions of La Liga this year. Hala Madrid!