Everything is working for Barcelona under the command of Hansi Flick, who also caught Real Madrid in his trap. And at the Bernabéu. The new Barça project, with no hint of newness, was heading into a very crude week, with the evidence of Bayern Munich, an old traumatic memoryand the last European champion, and he flew away, embarked on a risky plan but to which the pair of sprinters Mbappé and Vinicius also succumbed, who fell again and again into the abyss opened by Flick’s plan. They were offside 12 times, more than ever since 2013. Barcelona leaves on a cloud and leaves Madrid foundering in its doubts. When you have not been able to find any direction other than that of a comeback against Dortmundreceives a formidable blow from the worst rival, a very painful 0-4 that could have been much worse, and sees them move away six points in the League.
0
Andrii Lunin, Ferland Mendy (Fran García, min. 85), Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez, Aurélien Tchouaméni (Luka Modric, min. 62), Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga (Brahim Díaz, min. 76) , Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior
4
Iñaki Peña, Pau Cubarsí, Jules Koundé, Alejandro Balde, Iñigo Martínez, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Pedri (Gavi, min. 86), Marc Casadó (Dani Olmo, min. 64), Fermín López (Frenkie de Jong, min. 45 ) and Robert Lewandowski
Goals
0-1 min. 53: Lewandowski. 0-2 min. 55: Lewandowski. 0-3 min. 76: Lamine Yamal. 0-4 min. 83: Raphinha
Referee José María Sánchez Martínez
yellow cards
Marc Casado (min. 43), Koundé (min. 68), Íñigo Martínez (min. 74), Vinicius Junior (min. 79), Iñaki Peña (min. 81), Eder Militao (min. 86), Gavi (min. 89)
And the scenario was the one planned, the one that anyone had studied: Barça with its defense taking the midfield line to set up and Madrid looking for a way to take advantage of the space that this opened behind Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez . For many minutes it seemed that Flick’s plan was the best thing that could happen to Real, the most appetizing conditions. After weeks looking for the construction of the game, a simple movement was enough to attack it. A pass into space and Mbappé and Vinicius run. The Frenchman and the Brazilian spent the night like sprinters in their blocks, waiting for the starting shot.
As Flick wanted, there were many nulls from the first minute. Camavinga turned in the center of the field and automatically sent the ball to that designated area, to which Vinicius and Mbappé ran. The Frenchman threw out the one-on-one with Iñaki Peña, but the lineman had caught him before. It was the first offside of Real’s eight in the first half.
Ancelotti’s battalion came out on fire as it had never done before at the beginning of a match. Vinicius put pressure on Cubarsí and the goalkeeper and caused one loss after another. And then Madrid launched another wave, another attempt to solve the problem of their pitcher-forward synchronization when faced with the harmony of Barça’s defensive line. A succession of false chances went into limbo, a desperate collection with airs of that first visit of Sacchi’s Milan to the Bernabéu. The enigma seemed unsolvable and, when they approached to decipher it, they lacked precision. Mbappé shot over the crossbar while Iñaki Peña, caught out of position, desperately retreated towards the goal. And when he finally got it right, with a subtle touch over the goalkeeper, and everyone let off steam in celebration, the machine drew part of his body where it shouldn’t be.
While Madrid explored the direct route, sometimes from the goal kick, Barça built more calmly from Pedri and Casadó. They sailed with excellent speed through waters in which Valverde, Tchouameni and Camavinga were biting. Flick’s team was organized mainly in the center, where Lewandowski dropped out to support. Where Lamine Yamal also appeared alone against Lunin, who only had to receive a soft ball into his hands. Neither he nor Raphinha needed to exploit the wings to do damage.
While Madrid’s enthusiasm was deflating, punctured by the line flag, Barcelona found a reward for the way it had invited Real. Casadó crowned a superb match with a tense pass through the middle where Lewandowski was running, behind the local defense, which did not have the Barça geometric precision, broken by Mendy. Face to face with Lunin, the Pole found a corner of the net. As he did again just two minutes later, when he headed a cross from Balde between Militão and Rüdiger.
The double blow once again excited Madrid, who continued looking for a way to decipher the Flick enigma that they already knew they were going to face. But they continued to accumulate offsides and errors in front of goal in valid and disallowed plays.
The desperation, which has driven Real so many times, the last one on Tuesday against Borussia Dortmund, on this occasion stripped them even a little more. Barcelona, very solid in its plan, with the gravity of a team built despite the short time it has had with Flick, exploited Madrid’s dismay. The damage could have been much greater. Lewandowski wasted two unusual chances: one at the post with an empty goal and another over the crossbar with only Lunin. They didn’t care. Real had completely revealed themselves and continued to receive blows.
There was time for another moment for Lamine Yamal’s memory album, who got the third one right. And also for Raphinha’s room. Madrid was totally out of control. And so he remains, even more lost than before, without even hitting his two bullets.
