Barcelona triumphed in the primary battle towards rival Real Madrid. The Catalan membership received 1-0 win on the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the primary leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Thursday (March 2) — the primary of three matches between the Spanish powerhouses in the subsequent few weeks.
Barcelona took the victory with an own-goal by Madrid defender Éder Militão in the primary half. The rivals may even meet in the Spanish league on March 19 in Barcelona and in the return leg of the Copa semifinals on April 5.
It was additionally the primary match between the rivals because it turned public Barcelona paid hundreds of thousands of euros over a number of years to the vice chairman of the nation’s refereeing committee. A banner by Madrid followers on the Bernabéu mentioned: “Clean and white, never tarnished.”
Osasuna defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at dwelling on Wednesday in the primary leg of the opposite semifinal. It was a good match on the Bernabéu, with the groups struggling to create important scoring alternatives. Madrid managed possession however couldn’t break via the Barcelona protection, ending the match with none photographs on track.
The guests took the lead in the twenty sixth when the ball careened off Militão after a run into the realm by Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessié. The objective got here after Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga misplaced possession close to midfield. It was initially disallowed for an offside by Kessié however later acquired confirmed after video assessment.
“I’m satisfied with the result but not with how we played,” Barcelona coach Xavi mentioned. “It will be good to play at home in the return leg, with our fans, but I still think that Madrid is the favorite to advance.”
Madrid thought it had opened the scoring with Karim Benzema in the twelfth however he was offside. Kessié got here near including to Barcelona’s lead in the 74th however his shot from the center of the realm was inadvertently deflected close to the objective line by teammate Ansu Fati.
Barcelona acquired the win regardless of enjoying with out some of its high scorers as a result of of accidents — Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembélé and Pedri, a trio that has mixed for 40 targets this season, with 25 coming from Lewandowski. Xavi additionally could not rely on central defender Andreas Christensen as a result of of an harm. He began with Marcos Alonso in Christensen’s place and Ronald Araújo was improvised in the precise again place.
Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets performed in his forty sixth “clasico” to surpass former teammate Lionel Messi and Madrid defender Sergio Ramos for many appearances in the sport between the golf equipment. “It’s an important result that gives us a small advantage for the return match at home,” Busquets mentioned. “We were coming off two losses and were missing some players, so this strengthens the group.”
VINICIUS AND DE JONG GET INTO IT _
It’s getting heated in El Clasico! pic.twitter.com/watjFa8Nig
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 2, 2023
Barcelona was coming off a 1-0 loss at Almería in the Spanish league, which marked the primary time the Catalan membership failed to attain since October. Before that, it was eradicated by Manchester United in the Europa League playoffs. It leads Madrid by seven factors in the league.
Barcelona defeated Madrid 3-1 in the Spanish Super Cup last in January however had misplaced by the identical rating in the primary “clasico” of the season in a league match on the Bernabéu final 12 months. Barcelona additionally acquired the perfect of Madrid the final time they met in the Copa, advancing in the 2019 semifinals with a 3-0 win in the second leg on the Bernabéu.
Madrid was with out central defender David Alaba and left again Ferland Mendy as a result of of accidents. Rodrygo was again from harm however began on the bench, with Vinícius Junior and Benzema in the beginning lineup however not having the ability to produce a lot.
“We didn’t deserve the loss, we played well,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti mentioned. “It gives us confidence for the return match. If we can do the same in Barcelona, we will have a chance to advance.”
A fan was detained by safety officers after invading the sphere on the Bernabéu. Barcelona is the membership with most Copa titles with 31, eight greater than Athletic. Madrid is subsequent with 19, however none since 2014. The last shall be performed on May 6 in Seville.
