15 points was the difference in the standings before the start of the 249th Clasico. There was no sign of Real being so far ahead on the pitch. On the contrary. From the first minute it was outplayed by the eternal rival from Catalonia.
Karim Benzema’s absence was resolved by Carlo Ancelotti by pushing Luka Modric forward as “false nine”. Not a successful experiment, because the Croat was swimming.
In the opening half hour, both goalkeepers excelled with some good saves, but from then on the Barça train had left. Thanks to two header goals from Aubameyang and Araujo, the visitors went into the dressing rooms with a deserved 0-2.
Immediately after the break Ferran Torres was able to decide the game completely. Face to face with Courtois, he aimed faintly wide. A painful miss, but one minute later the ball was in goal after a fantastic combination attack from the old box. Torres heaved a sigh of relief.
Barça continued on its momentum after the 0-3. Aubameyang finished it all off with more than half an hour left on the clock. The flag was initially flagged for offside, but Alaba was surprised and the visitors’ party went on anyway.
Aubameyang came close to his hat-trick afterwards, but the net didn’t vibrate anymore. Courtois in particular had to come into action a few times. He single-handedly made sure that the punishment didn’t get worse. And Eden Hazard? It remained painfully in the dugout.
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