When Neymar scored the opener for Barcelona within three minutes against Real Madrid all seemed well for La Blaugrana. The Brazilian drove into a gap in the box, after Pepe was pulled out of position by Lionel Messi’s supporting run, before finishing powerfully past Iker Casillas to leave those inside the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu stunned.
However, that was Barca’s high-water mark, as by full time Madrid had put three goals past the Catalans to win 3-1. The galling thing about the defeat was the goals Barcelona had conceded were not unavoidable, but defensive mistakes that will irk Coach Luis Enrique.
Moreover, Madrid’s goals came after such a good start by Enrique’s men. In the minutes after Neymar’s opener Barca played crisply for nearly half-an-hour and managed to catch Madrid in possession. Messi had a gilt-edged chance when Luis Suarez’s brilliant low cross found the Argentine but his shot from six yards was turned away by Casillas.
But soon afterwards Barcelona’s defensive frailties came to the fore. Gerard Pique inexplicably decided to block Marcelo’s low cross with his hand and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Cristiano Ronaldo sent Claudio Bravo the wrong way to put the scores level.
Barca fell off the tracks in the second half, as the defence shot itself in the foot. Pepe’s goal six minutes into the second half was a case of horrific marking from a corner. As the ball was put into the box Dani Alves simply lost the scorer and fell to the ground, claiming a foul, while Pepe’s powerful header left Bravo with no chance.
Now it was Barcelona getting caught in possession and leaving themselves open to the counter, which is how Madrid scored their third goal, from yet another defensive error. As a Barcelona corner was cleared to the touchline on the halfway line Andres Iniesta chased the ball with Madrid’s Isco in hot pursuit.
What Iniesta didn’t see was Javier Mascherano coming to help. Iniesta played the ball towards his own half unaware of Mascherano’s arrival, which meant Isco went past both players and played the ball towards Ronaldo. Once spread to the right and James Rodriguez the Colombian threaded a lovely ball for Karim Benzema, who slotted past Bravo to seal the game.
Barcelona showed defensive lapses against Eibar and gave Los Armeros opportunities they weren’t able to convert, mainly thanks to Bravo’s good goalkeeping. In addition, it was said that if Barcelona did not learn their lesson they would be severely punished, which proved the case as they were taught a severe lesson by Madrid. Madrid showed intensity in their pressing, as they dispossessed their opponents on numerous occasions during the second half.
Two performances stood out – Isco and Dani Carvajal. The creativity of Isco brought an added dimension to Madrid’s play. He has brilliantly filled in for Gareth Bale, who is out with a buttock injury. Isco’s determination in attack but also in dispossessing players, notably for Madrid’s third goal, showed his worth to the team.
Carvajal was simply excellent in defence, whether dealing with Barcelona’s interchanging attacking trio of Messi, Neymar and Suarez, or breaking down Barcelona’s attacks. In attack the right-back provided a support option, as he tirelessly bombed down the flank. The 22-year-old has cemented his spot.
The vital win puts Real Madrid in third place, just a point behind Barcelona who are joint top with Sevilla, who beat Villarreal 2-1 on Sunday. This season has still a long way to go and Enrique will hope his players will have their revenge in the return fixture. But for now Real Madrid and their fans can celebrate a hard-fought win.
