Barcelona defeated Real Madrid, with a final score of 2-0, in the 35th round of the Spanish championship, in a match played at the “Camp Nou” and which had Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres, respectively, as scorers. The Catalan group, at the end of this victory recorded in “El-Clasico”, mathematically secured the title of champion in La Liga this season and managed to adjudge its second triumph out of a total of three matches that were played this season, in all competitions, in the company of the rival from the “Bernabeu”.
The clash in Catalonia began with the home team on the offensive, and with the 10-minute mark approaching, a free kick on the edge of the opponent’s box was won by Ferran Torres, following a foul by Antonio Rudiger. From around 16 meters, Marcus Rashford executed an unstoppable set piece, shooting into the corner of Thibaut Courtois’s goal, to the right of the Belgian goalkeeper’s goal, and the opening goal would be scored by Hansi Flick’s students, to the delight of the “Camp Nou” stands.
Nine minutes later, a foray into Real Madrid’s half by Gerard Martin found Fermin Lopez, marked out on the left flank of the “blaugrana” attack. The Spanish attacking midfielder looked up and threw a ball towards Dani Olmo, whose heel deflection left him in a favorable position to finish off Ferran Torres. From a few meters, with the whole goal in front, the Catalan center forward did not hesitate and beat Thibaut Courtois with a powerful shot, increasing the overall advantage for Barcelona.
Midway through the first half, the club prepared on the sidelines by Alvaro Arbeloa missed the chance to reduce the deficit on the scoreboard, when Raul Asencio released Gonzalo Garcia in open space, but, after a quality takeover by the Spanish top, the substitute Kylian Mbappe finished with a shot sent wide of Joan Garcia’s goal. In the 38th minute of the match, a positional attack by the hosts almost ended with another goal scored by Marcus Rashford. Eric Garcia received a ball on the right side of the field, passing from the first to Ferran Torres whose sudden dribble took Jude Bellingham out of the device.
Later, the Catalans’ “seven” launched a deep ball for Marcus Rashford whose speed was clearly superior to that exhibited by Fran Garcia. The English footballer, once entered the opponent’s box, tried to score with a shot sent to the far corner, but the Belgian goalkeeper, who was between the goals of the “los blancos” group, decisively touched the ball and maintained the difference of two goals on the scoreboard. In the second half, the first important goal opportunity was signed by Barcelona, when, having a lot of space at his disposal, Joao Cancelo offered a pass with the outside to Ferran Torres, whose completion to the far corner was rejected, in extremis, with his foot, by Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid managed to score in the 63rd minute of the match when Brahim Diaz’s cross found Jude Bellingham free in the Catalans’ box, and the English central midfielder’s execution did not give Joan Garcia much hope. However, the success signed by the player brought by Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund was canceled for offside. In the 84th minute of the match, Frenkie De Jong received a deep ball from Marc Bernal, and the Dutch footballer turned the ball for Robert Lewandowski, who, after a few moves inside the penalty area, shot directly into the area where Thibaut Courtois was, failing to create much danger to the opposing goals.
Barcelona finally prevailed over their great rival, and for the first time in history, the Catalan team mathematically won the title of Spanish champion at the end of an episode of “El-Clasico”, reaching the threshold of 91 points, 14 lengths ahead of the rival from the “Bernabeu”. At the same time, the team trained by Hansi Flick managed to win their second consecutive trophy in La Liga during the German coach’s tenure and won their second cup this season, after the title obtained in the “Supercopa de Espana”. In the next round, the “blaugrana” team will face Deportivo Alaves, away, while Real Madrid will receive the visit of the “red lantern” in the domestic competition, Real Oviedo.
