Leading up to the game, there was a lot of trash talk, particularly from the Madrid side. However, once the teams took the field, action spoke louder than words.
To say that the outcome was surprising would be an understatement as both teams came in with winning streaks and had dominated their recent opponents. However, this was a one-sided affair, and the Blaugrana (Catalan for blue and deep red, which are Barca's colors) were the dominant team. No one could have predicted a 5-0 victory, but that is exactly what we saw. All five goals are shown here.
The contrast in scoring was only overshadowed by the contrast in playing style. Madrid seemed listless and confused while Barcelona put on a show- yes, a show. Seeing them pass the ball, occupy space, and work as one unit was a wonder to watch.
While my favorite player Lionel Messi (shown above) did not score a goal, he set up three of his teammates and drew attention and fire from Real. He was the hero to the anti-hero of Real, Christiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese bad boy who at one point in the match shoved the Barcelona coach. Ronaldo, however, was held scoreless, and the best man did win out in this showdown.
I was reminded during this match, that soccer can be quite beautiful. Watching those eleven men work masterfully as a team was like watching an orchestra in action. These days, no one plays better than Barca, and I look forward to many more years of watching this team's sweet music.
No comments:
Post a Comment