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“As long as I win they can’t say a word,” the young star once stated, but this time he didn’t win and they closed in for him. Comments were made he spoke too much; they replied that, indeed, they would see him outside; the message was talk is cheap. And that was only the players: further remarks from the preachers in their pulpits, men who always have opinions.

On the eve the clásico, young Lamine Yamal who says he abandoned nervousness back in his hometown suggested that the Madrid side benefit from decisions and moan, according to reports. He also offered a recollection that on his previous visit he had been the Santiago Bernabéu – as a youngster with blaugrana dental work, a glint in his gaze and a right foot they didn’t know he had – he beat them 4-0. Yet that was past and the present differed. Moreover, an adult now, exactly a year on, his side fell short. He knew, they told him so.

Bellingham nets derby winner as Real Madrid pull clear of their rivals

As the match conclusion went on a wild, heated 262nd Madrid-Barca match that was a little like past encounters, Lamine Yamal walked in the direction of Madrid’s captain, hand out. Rather than accepting it, Carvajal made the classic talking gesture. It had been challenging keeping up with everything that unfolded in the 105 minutes that preceded it, a match of numerous attempts, multiple scores recorded and additional efforts disallowed; now it was impossible.

Suddenly appeared footballers all around, running in and out of view and piling in, security separating individuals away from each other. In the middle the scuffle, Madrid’s goalkeeper was accepting the invitation to continue the dispute down the tunnel. Vinícius was restrained, him saying to someone as well they are too vocal. Raphinha was running to stop his compatriot, Antonio Rüdiger there too. “It was our youth,” the midfielder said.

Shift in Momentum

Earlier this year, Tchouaméni had written: “Opponents rejoice in our losses as if our winning days are over. We’ll be back.” Madrid had just lost a derby Copa del Rey showpiece 3-2 after additional minutes, emotional scenes following the final whistle, ice cubes flying. Two weeks later, they were beaten again. In four encounters, Madrid had lost four times, league, Copa del Rey and Super Cup going to their rivals. Their defense allowed four, five, 3 and four. But there is always tomorrow and as it happened Tchouaméni was right.

On just one occasion had Barcelona ever won five derbies consecutively, under Guardiola record-breaking run concluding with that 5-0 versus José Mourinho’s team, and it was not repeated. This past weekend, Real Madrid ended Hansi Flick’s perfect record as manager, defeating Barcelona 2-1 to move a significant margin ahead at the top of the table.

Significance

The Madrid squad required the victory. Their post-match joy said so, players dancing in circles. So did the noise, their stadium more vocal and more edgy than for such matches in recent memory: “amazing,” Jude Bellingham described it. The coach echoed this. When questioned whether this was a weight off his shoulders, if existed a mental block regarding big games, an obsession, he shot back: “That’s you lot’s thing.” But he did admit that this was “more than a win, but where we come from and what it means for the squad; the boys needed that feeling of winning a major fixture.”

Last season they had not won in such matches. On fourteen occasions they were defeated: Lille, Italian club, Liverpool, Bilbao, city rivals, Betis, Atlético, eastern side and London club all beat them. They did not achieve a single win against a truly big side. Carlo Ancelotti went and succeeded by Alonso but it continued. Madrid secured five games at the Club World Cup, indications of tactical organization developing, an idea, but they faced Paris Saint Germain.

Season Progress

That defeat belongs to last season, the coach said. But the new campaign, his term, began with six wins in a row until Atlético came and put five past them. The results were all well and good beating Oviedo, Mallorca and Osasuna however, against the big teams? Now at last they had beaten one of them as well. Moreover it wasn’t just that they won, it was the way they won.

Barcelona were missing out: backup keeper, young midfielder, attacking midfielder, star striker and Andreas Christensen were all missing. So too the winger, whose significance might now be fully recognised by his absence. Others weren’t fully fit, Jules Koundé and young forward among them. On the bench they had five players who hadn’t started in La Liga, others who had started just one time; teenagers, four 18-year-olds and two who are nineteen. Plus defender, Uruguayan star, who ended it in attack once more. Additionally head coach was absent, Flick suspended and located in a commentary box. Marcus Sorg, his assistant, has been on the touchline three times: he suffered defeats in all of them.

Game Breakdown

Much is made of Barcelona’s defensive setup, but their offense struggled effectively on Sunday. Among comments that were said to Lamine Yamal on Sunday, maybe the most telling came from the Brazilian during the game, taunting the teenager by saying: “Your play is backwards passes.” Regarding their defense, more porous than before after Iñigo Martínez departing, defensive intensity on opponents dropping and the timing lacking, one opponent made six clear chances against them, Rayo five, Andalusian side 5, Catalan club three. Last year they trapped the French forward offside on multiple occasions in an open clásico; yet, lost amid losses, was that in their most recent match he scored a hat-trick, Madrid always positioned to get opportunities currently.

Key Moments

Playing like this, especially. The match served as a beginning and also an end in itself. “In the future we’re going to need a lot of our performance in this game,” the manager said. The team had shots in the net five times – three disallowed for offside – failed to convert {a penalty|a spot-kick