Barcelona vs Real Madrid [CDR] 2nd leg

Andres Iniesta wrote:Alright.

-That match was explosive. Best Classico since the 2nd leg in the Summer.

-Sanchez must be played as CF when on the field. This takes away from Messi's false nine role, but this is the only way how to play Sanchez. He is too direct for the FCB type winger, and having him in the centre puts alot of problems on the centre backs with his great movement. He's Eto'o without Sammi's great finishing.

-Pedro again was that silent killer. You might not see him around for 90 minutes, but he put that goal in and worked extremely hard. He's not in his 10-11 level, but he's getting there.

-The officiating in this game was shocking. I do agree with some fans that believe the refereeing in this match stopped Real from going through, but I also agree with some fans that believe Real got away from a couple incidents. (see Sanchez' wrongly called offside and Lass not getting sent off. Ramos' soft 2nd yellow, Granero's soft yellow, and Ramos' disallowed goal).

-Mourinho has got some serious explaining to do with omitting Benzema from the XI. Higuain might be a better goalscorer, but Benzema is a better player and makes the team play much better with his great link-up play. I feel he also gets Ozil into the game more with their great link-ups, it would've been vital in the early moments when Real wanted to make their mark first. There are 10 outfield players, and it's not only the one playing ST that scores..

With all that said..RM fans, keep your head up, that was the most passionate football I've seen in a while. Real played excellently, and move on...you are still ahead by five points in the donkey league.

jiopsi wrote:Messi's 10th assist in El Clasico, more than any other player.



Alves screamer.

paperbackwriter wrote:I told my friends at the 85th minute mark, "I bet you 10 euros (or really, 100 swedish crowns) that the ref will add only 3 minutes of extra time". My neutral (PL fanboys) friends took the bet without hesitation. Needless to say I won the bet and 40 euros, to no avail of course.

That was the defining moment of a terrible ref night for me. 6 subs (3 for each team) are by FIFA standards in itself 3 minutes of added time. With all the "injuries", ref crowding and freekicks it should at least have been 4 minutes, probably 5 minutes of extra time. Barca managed to waste 1 minute of the extra time on a freekick. No compensation of course, he even blew the game of at 92 minutes and 50 sec.

The ref wanted the game shut and made sure it was.

Andres Iniesta wrote:

Here's Llourinho standing beside the ref's car, waiting to insult him.

Like words hurt.... :lucas:

halamadrid2 wrote:Arbeloa outdid Granero with an epic quote of his own

"We got as far as they would let us,"

jiopsi wrote:Zac Lee Rigg: Barcelona's superior resolve sees it past Real Madrid

Barcelona isn't used to taking the lead against Real Madrid.

In three of the four previous meetings this year, Madrid took the lead. In each of those instances – and particularly the 3-1 La Liga win in December when a Victor Valdes error allowed Karim Benzema to score in the first minute – Barca remained calm, returned to its passing game and earned a favorable result.

Gonzalo Higuain's finishing meant that this time the Catalans had to assert their adamantium resolve differently.

In the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal, strangely, Barca took the lead. First Lionel Messi's deft dink set up Pedro for the opener and then Dani Alves channeled his inner Zeus to strike a lightning bolt past Iker Casillas seconds before the halftime whistle.

(GolTV commentator Ray Hudson called it "a hit that would blister pure steel.")

That gave Barca a comfortable 4-1 aggregate lead with only 45 more minutes to play. Madrid, naturally, made it as uncomfortable for the home side as possible. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema provided a new and different sort of discomfort than the Clasicos have offered Barca.

All of the sudden, Madrid had the momentum, had the upper hand heading toward the final whistle. All of the sudden, Carlos Puyol turned into Jamie Carragher – drop-kicking any ball that dared come near him towards the clouds. All of the sudden, Jose Manuel Pinto's poor distribution was threatening to sever Barca's passing at its base. All of the sudden, Andres Iniesta's injury meant a hell of a lot. All of the sudden, Madrid edged possession, holding 51 percent of it in the second half.

"What was looking so safe and sure and locked up in the Bank of England for Barcelona is now looking like a Wall Street meltdown," Hudson said.

But again, Barcelona refused to panic. Refused to defer. Refused to relent even for one match.

"We knew we had to suffer until the end," Dani Alves said.

Barcelona started the second half at a slackened pace. Instead of worrying and becoming frantic when Madrid scored twice, the team kept the same sluggish pace and used it to neuter the match. Tiki-taka is as much a defensive tactic as it is offensive.

Slowly, the minutes edged towards Barcelona progression.

The Catalans calmly stared the charging, rampaging bull in its beady little eye and coolly stepped to the side at the last moment.

“The players showed great strength,” Pep Guardiola said.

Real Madrid blamed the referee. In the tunnel after the match, Casillas told ref Fernando Teixeira to go party in the Barca locker room. Jose Mourinho, for some reason wearing his boating gear, cattily only congratulated Barca for the first leg win, suggesting it is "impossible" to win at the Camp Nou.

Given the softness of the two calls surrounding Sergio Ramos – his disallowed goal and his ejection – most in the capital camp will focus on the referee's performance.

In Barcelona, though, they can genuinely laud a resolve, an intensity, an obstinance that Real Madrid simply has yet to match.

Pretty agreeable writeup.

BaraaTKF992 wrote:i think what arbeloa said was about the referee not about you guys lol.

he means that we got as far as the referee let us, otherwise we would have smashed the hell out of barca in front of their already "sh*t themselves" camp nou fans :lucas: