Record for Busquets
Even without the injured striker Robert Lewandowski, FC Barcelona opened the Clásico weeks with a win and made a big step towards the double. The Catalans won the first leg of the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup 1-0 (1-0) at their great rivals Real Madrid on Thursday and thus have the best chance of reaching the final on April 5 in the second leg. Before that, however, the two top clubs will meet in the championship on March 19, where Barça could make a preliminary decision given their seven-point lead.
In the second semi-final, CA Osasuna won the first leg against Athletic Bilbao 1-0 on Wednesday. The final will take place in Seville on May 6th. At the Estadio Bernabeu, an own goal by Éder Militão sealed Barça’s victory (26′). The defender was unlucky after a save by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. In the first half, it was practically the only chance for the guests, with Lewandowski missing due to a muscle injury.
Otherwise, in a hard-fought game, Real pushed for Marc-André ter Stegen’s goal, but he showed no weaknesses. Team-mate Sergio Busquets played his 46th Clásico, surpassing Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi (both 45) – unmatched in their careers. Former world champions Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger started at Real. Ex-Bayern professional David Alaba was injured. Both teams gave nothing. Again and again there were tough duels and provocations. The main focus was on Real striker Vinicius Junior and Barcas Gavi.
The new record holder Busquets (quoted via “barcawelt.de”) said after the game: “The win is important, but there’s still the second leg. We came with defeats in our luggage and didn’t have a lot of players with us. The team played well, we were closed, we scored and marked very well. We fought well, we were solid, we closed in on the inside, we did a good job defensively, the result gives us a little advantage in the second leg with our fans. We saw that everything is very balanced in these games – but with this result we have a small advantage.”
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Real keeper Courtois said: “We dominated the game. They acted quite defensively. There was a lot of bad luck when we conceded, I hold the ball and the rebound goes into the goal from Militão. They won even though they didn’t deserve it. We had good control of the game but didn’t create any chances. We struggled to score and create chances. They defended very well, they conceded very few goals. Now we have to win the second leg.”
#ELCLÁSICO HIGHLIGHTS | Barça blank Real Madrid in first leg of Copa del Rey semis! pic.twitter.com/pzi1DRGBIf
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 2, 2023
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