BRAVERY IN THE BERNABEU

This weekend, Barca played its first game of the season against Real Madrid-a derby match known as el clasico.

Barca held a commanding league in the Spanish domestic league going into the match, but Madrid were coming off their fifth trophy of the year-the Club World Cup-and many had anointed them far and away the best side of 2017. Thus, it was clear that fireworks would ensue as these eternal rivals took the pitch.

Early on, Madrid were rampant, and they pressured Barca relentlessly. However, as the first half went on, Barca found its composure and created a few chances of its own. Nonetheless, I was not optimistic when we went into halftime 0-0.

Something seemed to have clicked at half time, however. For Barca, that click was the on switch being flipped. For Real, on the other hand, tentativeness set in. It was as though Barca said, "they threw everything they had at us, and it got them nothing. Let's now play our game and get them on the back foot." Real's response seemed to be, "How did we not score? What do we do now?" And that  is exactly how things played out.

Barca scored first on a beautiful counterattack started from their own end. They quickly followed that up with a penalty after a Madrid player was sent off for deliberately handling the ball and preventing a goal scoring opportunity. What was most striking-especially before these two goals-was how Barca did not just sit back and waster time or play the safe pass. Time and time again, they played the attacking pass, the killer pass. As I reflected on Barca's ostensible bravery, I came to realize that these men would dispute that account. They were simply doing their job, playing their game the only way they knew how. To attack and to exploit is not something one does when it is safe. This is how Barca players from the academy to the first team are taught to play every time they take the field!

In the end, we finished with a deserved 3-0 win over Madrid, pushing them 14 points behind us and hopefully dealing them a knockout blow in the league. There are more more games to play before the league title is ours, and we may still face Madrid in two other competitions, but until play resumes in January, Barca are the undisputed kings of Spain and the world. Back to where they belong, if you ask me!