Real Madrid wins El Clásico and Vinicius loses favour with the Bernabéu
- Egos and character in modern football
- The controversy surrounding Lamine Yamal before El Clásico
- Real Madrid's reaction and match conditions
- Highlights of the first half
- Xabi Alonso's strategy and the second goal
- Controversy in the second half
- Vinicius' attitude and its impact on the team
- Incidents and tension at the end of the match
- Final result and challenges for the future
Egos and character in modern football
Egos are not good football players. Perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo's is, but that inner genius was moulded over years by Sir Alex Ferguson, and that leaves a big mark on character. In modern football (even though Cristiano is still playing and has scored 950 goals in his career), Vinicius and Lamine Yamal set the tone for that group of irreverent players who are not liked by everyone and has sparked a controversy between Spain's two biggest teams that could last quite some time.
The controversy surrounding Lamine Yamal before El Clásico
Before El Clásico, someone from Barcelona let Lamine loose and the number 10, yes, the number 10, opened his mouth to say that Madrid ‘cheats’. It was a relaxed chat with Ibai Llanos where, incidentally, Gerard Piqué was also present. No one tells King Yamal that he is naked and that this precipice leads to the life of Neymar, his friend Ney, by the way.
The statements fired up the Real Madrid dressing room, who went into El Clásico with knives between their teeth. Barça's seven absences, including Flick, didn't matter, because the goal was to crush the team that humiliated them in every game they played last season.
Real Madrid's reaction and match conditions
An offside and a disallowed goal by Mbappé were the referee's welcome card. The ghosts of Halloween arrived at the Bernabéu to remind them of what happened a year ago. However, this time the team was much more focused on defending and attacking at the pace set by Xabi Alonso from the wing.
Highlights of the first half
In one of those plays where Barça's defence pushed forward more than it should have, Bellingham filtered a good pass to Mbappé to score the first goal. The reviews prevented the goal from being disallowed, 1-0, and the search for the second goal was on in the midst of a white hurricane.
Cubarsí and Eric García, along with Balde and Koundé, were called upon to capitulate to Real Madrid's attack. Their mistakes could have cost them almost three goals, but the first half did not end 1-1 after Fermín scored from a Rashford pass. It would have been too high a price for the Catalan side, who, on the other hand, showed their ability to score goals despite their poor play.
Xabi Alonso's strategy and the second goal
In the 43rd minute, Bellingham appeared to make it 2-1. Xabi decided to take him off the wing and put him in midfield alongside Güler. It was a great idea for the Whites, who struck again against a lost Barça.
Controversy in the second half
In the second half, Eric García committed a handball that VAR showed to Soto Grado. Although the referee did not hesitate to blow the whistle, the hearts of both sets of fans sank because when it comes to handballs, the rules are rewritten every week. Mbappé missed and Halloween returned. Another missed penalty after the controversy with last season's penalties.
Vinicius' attitude and its impact on the team
On the left wing, Vinicius was doing his thing, running and making runs that ended with shots from his teammates. He was a knife that hurt the opposition and just played football. Until he lost his cool in the 72nd minute. When the assistant referee raised the scoreboard with his number and Rodrygo's, Vinicius exploded with cries of ‘Not me’ and ‘I'm leaving the team for this.’ Two phrases that overshadowed the match and could spell the end of his career if Real Madrid decides to finally address the attitude of one of its most media-savvy and controversial players in recent years. Alonso moved out of his way to avoid another row. The Bernabéu witnessed his shouting, his anger and his disgruntled walk to the dressing room. Someone advised him to return to the bench, unaware that he was about to make another big mistake.
Incidents and tension at the end of the match
Pedri's sending off in the 100th minute after a reckless tackle on Camavinga heated up the tempers of the players on both teams. The benches faced off and the police had to intervene to calm things down until the end of the match.
When it was all over, the fighting continued with gestures such as Carvajal reproaching Lamine for ‘talking too much’ and Vinicius confronting Barça players, including the injured Raphinha, who had come down to watch the final minutes from the tunnel.
Final result and challenges for the future
Real Madrid won 2-1 and are now even further ahead in the league. Flick has work to do, although the absences may be misleading because there were important names in the infirmary. Madrid has to readjust Vinicius' behaviour; it can no longer be permissive with a player who arouses animosity in rivals and in some sectors of its own fan base. If Florentino takes him at his word, he will find out how cold it is outside Real Madrid.