Xavi's men scored all three goals and the VAR disallowed Asensio's goal for a very close offside

Barça win the league against a Real Madrid side that was left without a goal

photo_camera PHOTO/@FCBarcelona_es - Lewandowski drives the ball under pressure from Rüdiger during El Clasico

Negreira did not take the kick-off, nor did de Burgos Bengoetxea help Barça win. The first Clasico after the refereeing scandal that has sullied Barca's 20-year history took a back seat to a game that would be decisive if won by the home side or that could give Los Blancos hope of taking all three points. 

Camavinga, Kroos and Modric is Ancelotti's midfield. De Jong and Busquets are the benchmark for the Culés as long as Gavi has the green light to make all sorts of fouls, with and without the ball, without seeing anything beyond the occasional yellow. 

It was strange that in the final minutes the television, which is always so reluctant to show certain images, showed an assault by Gavi on Ceballos and that the VAR did not alert the referee to the incident. 

The fact is that these two midfielders had little to do in the first few minutes when Real Madrid were determined not to let Barça breathe and, as always, to turn the game over to Vinícius. In one of those moves where the Brazilian runs down the flank, his cross touched Araújo and was poisoned in such a way that it flew into Ter Stegen's goal in slow motion. 

That strange partner in crime for Vinícius, Araújo, turned out to give much more to the Catalan club than was expected in view of his size and, a priori, lack of technique, which he solved with fouls and simple play. 

Barça's mediocrity in many of the games they have won by one goal was not going to help them at the Camp Nou. Xavi knew that and he had to give something more to a crowd that was totally energised. They needed titles, with or without levers, because anything that wasn't on the pitch could only give them upsets. 

Barcelona moved up a gear before the break and Real Madrid lacked the quality to get the ball out clearly. Nacho and Carvajal have excellent defensive ability and plenty of experience, but in these games, you need something more when they step into the opposition box than flat crosses or telegraphed passes. 

In the end, Sergi Roberto finished off a ball that nobody in white had managed to clear to make it 1-1 just before half-time to the madness of a crowd celebrating the goal as if it were a title. 

Ancelotti did not make any changes until the 60th minute and that was beginning to weigh on the team. His Praetorian Guard has the physicality to last an hour, but if the game requires an earlier bench move, he should be more agile. Rodrygo and Mendy encouraged the team in attack and, at least, there were more white shirts accompanying Vinícius and Benzema in the attacks. In fact, Rodrygo had the second goal after a mistake by Busquets but sent the ball into the stands. 

Xavi waited until 76 to take Sergi Roberto off and make way for Kessié. The team was working well. Lewandowski doesn't score goals, but he moves the team up front and Raphinha has taken the place of Dembélé. 

Already in the 75th minute, Ancelotti revolutionised the team with Ceballos and Asensio joined by Tchouaméni. That quality cannot spend so much time on the bench when the game is crying out for creative guys to move the ball around. In just five minutes they created chances and chances. Asensio scored the 1-2. There was silence in the Camp Nou. The Mallorcan kissed his shield in a wake-up call to those who negotiate that contract that has not yet been signed. Then the VAR came in and put millimetres between his body and that of the defender. Enough to cancel it out and for the ghost of Negreira to appear over the Barcelona sky. 

Real Madrid took the image for granted, although Ancelotti said after the game that "we have the right to doubt" and continued to look for the rival goal while Barça did the same on the counter. It was a duel of low blows that would end up knocking one of the two down. Lewandowski's back-heel on the reviled Ansu Fati set up a pressure outlet that was finished off by Kessié at the far post to give Barça the most needed league title in their history. The big smokescreen to cover up their misfortunes and their pressing economic crisis before the summer brings a new farce. 

Ansu finished the match against Ceballos. The Andalusian has enough to do with playing minutes and being a professional in this sport in view of the mistreatment to which he was subjected by the RFEF with uncontrolled infiltrations. The Barça striker could be playing his last few months as a Barça player. Messi's heir is Laporta's ace to clean up the books and his entourage has made his head too hot about a future outside Spain. 

The Clasico is over, but there is another one almost as important for Xavi's side. The second leg of the Copa semi-final will decide which team gets into the final of a minor title that can either completely cover up Barça's misfortunes or give Real Madrid a net in case the road to Istanbul is in the works.

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