Xavi laments Barca second half

Xavi Hernandez rued the chances missed by Barcelona against Real Madrid and the poor second half that allowed Los Blancos to win El Clasico.

Barca were in front early through Neymar but Madrid levelled before half-time through Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty.

Goals from Pepe and Karim Benzema gave Madrid a 3-1 win and after the match, Xavi criticised Barca’s performance as playing into Madrid’s hands.

“There was a half for both teams. The second was for Madrid and we conceded the second goal from a corner,” he complained, AS reports.

“Then we helped them and let them play on the counter-attack. The first half was good for Barcelona. We wanted to remain vigilant in the second but they’re good on the break.

“We could have scored the second goal but we missed chances and you can’t do that at Santiago Bernabeu. You end up paying.

“The third goal is unfortunate on the flanks. They live on the counter-attack and we weren’t able to stop them.”

Xavi added however that the defeat doesn’t mean the team doubts their approach, particularly after what he felt was a very strong first half.

“We believe in what we’re doing,” Xavi insisted.

“In the first half we were very much on top and we created chances. In the second, we weren’t so good.”

Tags Clasico Xavi Hernandez
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