MADRID (REUTERS) - La Liga leaders Barcelona won a tight and tense "Clasico" 1-0 at Real Madrid on Saturday (March 2), beating their great rivals at their Bernabeu home for the second time in four days and moving a staggering 12 points clear of them in the standings.
Croatia international Ivan Rakitic struck the only goal of the game midway through the first half, delivering an ice-cool finish over Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois after being played in by a clever pass by Sergi Roberto.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were largely kept quiet in a shy display from the champions in which their defenders Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet were the heroes instead, bravely putting their bodies in the way to snuff out Madrid.
The victory, which followed Barca's 3-0 win over Real in a Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, gave them a 10-point lead at the top over Atletico Madrid, who visit Real Sociedad on Sunday, and effectively ended third-placed Real's title hopes.
The win also took Barca ahead of Real in the history books, with 96 wins in the 'Clasico' to their rivals' 95, while they recorded four consecutive league wins away to Real for the first time.
Real were left to reflect on a third consecutive home defeat in all competitions for the first time since 2004 and now have only one realistic objective for this season - retaining the Champions League which they have monopolised since 2016.
Winning Europe's biggest prize again could also be the last chance coach Santiago Solari has of keeping his job as even though his side played well here and in the Cup defeat, losing to Barca twice and falling 12 points behind them is not something Real Madrid tend to tolerate.
Madrid were less buccaneering than in Wednesday's 3-0 defeat in the cup semi-final second leg and Brazilian teenager Vinicius Jr was their most dangerous threat once again but was again let down by his wayward shooting.
Vinicius tore down Barca's left side early on as Real took the game to Barca but when the ball fell to Luka Modric, Pique quickly delivered a block to kill the danger, something that became a familiar sight as the game progressed.
Barca could have taken the lead when Messi latched onto a pass and was clean through on goal, albeit with a difficult angle, but his shot drifted wide.
Rakitic found himself in a similar position soon afterwards but he kept his nerve, calmly chipping over Courtois to score.
Barca were left fuming at halftime when Real captain Sergio Ramos appeared to strike Messi in the face after winning a tackle but the Spaniard escaped a booking, although he was shown a yellow card later in the game.
It was a rare moment of needle in an unusually uneventful game between Spain's two biggest clubs.
Zaniolo received his first call-up to the senior Italy team in September, even before making his Serie A debut. "Zaniolo will become a real champion, not just according to me but according to
Roma Youth & Reserves - Chiesa Di Totti
Poch Tells Tottenham To Purchase Players It's a different level to play in the Champions League. Advertisement. Young Player of the Year Dele Alli has been a key part of Spurs' success
Poch Tells Tottenham To Purchase Players - Yahoo News UK
Inside Training: Salah & Mane return for pre-season training, lactate testing and basketball - Duration: 5:53. Liverpool FC 2,413,054 views
Whats wrong with Mo Salah? - RedsBet
That is part of football." File photo: Anfield stadium is home of Liverpool Football Club one of the most successful English Premier League football clubs. Image: shutterstock. Liverpool could end a 29-year wait for the league title if they can hold on until the end of the season and Klopp knows the club's fans are likely to be feeling tense.
Klopp dismisses talk of Liverpool crumbling under pressure
Man Utd legends thrash Bayern in 1999 charity rematch Date created : 26/05/2019 - 20:50 Manchester United '99 Legends celebrate a goal against Bayern Munich in a charity match AFP
Manchester United legends thrash Bayern in 1999 charity rematch
SAO PAULO (REUTERS) - Brazilian soccer great Pele had a successful operation to remove a kidney stone on Saturday (April 13), doctors in Sao Paulo said. Football: Pele recovering well after
Pele recovering well after kidney stone operation - Football
It has been announced that the Tottenham Hotspur First Team squad will travel to Singapore and Shanghai as part of their pre-season tour in July in preparation for the 2019/20 season. The 2019 pre
Spurs to visit Singapore, Shanghai in July, Latest Football
United were awarded a penalty in the 17th minute after Robert Snodgrass brought Juan Mata down with a clumsy challenge just inside the box. Paul Pogba struck the spot-kick down the middle and in
Paul Pogba urged to quit 'pathetic' penalty run-up after
Burnley made a big step towards securing Premier League survival after coming back from a goal down to beat Bournemouth 3-1 away as their striker Ashley Barnes scored at both ends in an action-packed contest on Saturday.
AFC Bournemouth vs. Burnley - Football Match Report - April 6
Mourinho put on Ranieri's initials consequence of his sacking by Leicester last year, a sign of respect to the man who nine months earlier had taken them to the title. The Portuguese is having a hard time at Old Trafford with the Reds in eighth place,18 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City and eight from the top four.
Premier League Sacking Season kicks-off as Fulham Fires Jokanovic
Ronaldo fined, not jailed for tax fraud MADRID • Portugal and Juventus footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted to committing tax fraud while playing for Real Madrid and agreed to pay an €18.8 million (S$29 million) fine after striking a deal with prosecutors and tax authorities in return for a 23-month suspended prison sentence.
Cristiano Ronaldo to Pay $21.6 Million Fine for Tax Fraud
Lucas Moura: From PSG cast off to Tottenham idol Lucas Moura almost single-handedly fired Spurs into their first Champions League final with a hat-trick in Amsterdam.
Lucas Moura, from PSG cast-off to Tottenham idol
Bayern Munich forward Sandro Wagner on Wednesday joined Tianjin Teda in the Chinese Super League (CSL) for a reported transfer fee of five million euros and a hefty pay packet. A growing number of
Sandro Wagner completes move from Bayern Munich to Tianjin
Refreshed Croatia win with attack-focused play ZAGREB • Like Germany's Joachim Low, Zlatko Dalic has also opted to rebuild his squad following last year's World Cup and the Croatia coach was delighted with his new-look team on Thursday.
The Straits Times - Breaking News, Lifestyle & Multimedia News
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen