45
21:48
Mid-term conclusion:
With an extremely flattering 1-0 lead in the Clásico at the break at Real Madrid. Los Blancos set the tone from the start, constricting Barca deep in their own half. There was absolutely nothing to see from the Catalans offensively. Even after rare ball wins in the center, almost no player from the Blaugrana offered themselves, who were defensively very compact. With a curious Kullertor – Courtois shot with a save against Kessié teammate Militão, who pushed the ball over the line – the passive guest then took the lead, which lasted until the half-time whistle because the Blancos were struggling, necessarily behind the chain of Catalans to come.
45
21:47
End of 1st half
45
21:46
The second round in the first round is two minutes.
45
21:46
Official injury time (minutes): 2
45
21:45
Yellow card for Raphinha (Barcelona)
Raphinha grabs the starting Vinícius Júnior from behind by the jersey and thus prevents the royals from advancing. This is a classic, tactical foul and therefore a clear yellow card.
43
21:44
Scoundrel Federico Valverde looks down the middle from the right corner of the box and fakes a cross, only to unleash a juicy shot to the near corner. Marc-André ter Stegen smells the roast and grabs it safely.
41
21:42
With a surgically precise diagonal ball, Kroos finds the incoming Benzema, who comes free to the ball six meters before the guest goal. He would have enough time to receive the ball, but prefers the difficult volley, which is a case for the stands. That’s almost negligent.
40
21:40
Camavinga chipped through to Benzema, who was immediately surrounded by three opponents. The Frenchman tries to back off with a heel, but the Barca defense successfully blocks.
38
21:38
As part of a switchover, the Blaugrana are now coming to an end again. However, Gavi’s left-footed shot isn’t really worth mentioning. The sharp end clearly misses the long corner. Kick off Madrid.
37
21:37
The Clásico ripples largely uneventfully, which is mainly due to the defensive FC Barcelona, which condenses the center and effectively blocks the pass stations. Real Madrid can’t get through
34
21:34
Luka Modrić tries it from the second row. However, the right-footed shot from 20 meters also clearly misses the goal of Marc-André ter Stegen.
32
21:33
Barca keep stirring concrete and lurking for opportunities to get into the transition game. The capitals meanwhile keep the ball very well in their own ranks, but just don’t necessarily get behind the chain.
29
21:31
Of course, this strange hit plays really well into the Blaugrana’s defensive style of play. Madrid keep going but can’t find a gap in the compact defence.
26
21:27
Tooor for FC Barcelona, 0-1 by Eder Militão (own goal)
That’s how it is: The VAR gives away the goal for the Blaugrana, who now take a 1-0 lead with their first attacking action ever. Camavinga canceled the offside against Kessié when playing the ball into the interface. The 26-year-old can shoot from twelve meters, but fails because of a very strong foot defense by Courtois. However, from the Blancos keeper, the leather bounces straight into the path of Eder Militão, who cannot control the ball and stumbles into his own goal.
26
21:26
Out of nowhere, the ball wriggles in the net in the Madrilenians’ box. However, this goal is also immediately disallowed due to an offside position. That looks extremely tight. It is quite possible that the VAR will contact you again.
24
21:24
Vinicius Júnior (Real Madrid) is shown a yellow card.
In the tough duel between Vinícius Júnior and Frenkie de Jong, the Brazilian finally puts his opponent in a headlock and throws him to the ground in the best wrestling manner. That earns him the first yellow card of the match.
23
21:24
The first half of the first round is over and so far the Clásico is still comparatively bloodless. Madrid sets the tone, but does not overpower and bites solid against defensively very compact Catalans. Barca themselves are not yet making any offensive efforts.
20
21:21
There is nothing to be seen from the Blaugrana offensively. The Catalans are totally focused on defending and can hardly get past the halfway line.
17
21:18
Nacho tries to break into the box from the left wing but Raphinha uses a perfectly timed tackle from behind to clear the ball and clear for a corner. However, even this stationary ball does not pose any danger.
15
21:15
Vinícius Júnior pulls in three players with a sprint into the slot, opening the gap for Karim Benzema to finish from the second row. The right-footed shot from 18 meters is blocked by Jules Koundé for a corner, which then brings nothing further.
12.
21:13
Now Vinícius Júnior finds Benzema, who breaks away at the second post, after a pass by Modrić. With an incredible ball acceptance, the Frenchman claims the ball and then pushes it in in the far corner. But then the flag goes up on the sidelines. The 35-year-old was clearly offside.
11.
21:12
The Whites look for Benzema with a high diagonal ball into the opposing box, but Koundé is there and clears the cross with a resolute header.
9.
21:09
Barca earn a corner. However, the briefly executed standard situation becomes a boomerang. Real counterattacked, but Modrić played an imprecise pass down the path of Vinícius Júnior, who was unable to keep the ball in play.
7.
21:08
The Catalans are very secure defensively and don’t offer the Madrilenians any gaps. Even after a diagonal shift, Vinícius Júnior has almost no space because Ronald Araújo is closing. All that remains is the shot from an extremely acute angle, which goes wide of Marc-André ter Stegen’s goal. Kick off Barcelona.
4.
21:04
Real sets the tone in the first few minutes. Barca stand remarkably deep and let Los Blancos come for now.
1.
21:02
Blancos’ first exclamation mark: Modrić went through to the right after a pass, but only slammed the ball into the side netting from a tight angle. However, he probably started from an offside position anyway, so a goal should have been checked.
1.
21:01
The game is on. Madrid plays all in white. The guests from Catalonia wear their blue and crimson colors. Here we go.
1.
21:00
game start
20:35
Incidentally, it is the 252nd “El Clásico” that is played between the two teams as a rated competitive game. With 101 victories, the Madrilenians are only slightly ahead of the 98 victories of the Catalans. 52 draws round off the record. In their last meeting so far, Los Blancos won 3-1 at home in LaLiga on October 16, 2022. It was one of only two games the Blaugrana lost in league operations in the 2022/23 season.
20:28
If Barcelona don’t get the curve straight away today, the Blaugrana could promptly lose the next chance for the title. Of course, coach Xavi doesn’t want to let it go that far and after the 0-1 defeat in Almería he rotates to five positions: Jordi Alba, Andreas Christensen, Eric García, Sergi Roberto (all four benches) and Robert Lewandowski (thigh injury) start today Evening Marcos Alonso, Raphinha, Jules Koundé, Ronald Araújo and Álex Baldé.
20:22
FC Barcelona is the undisputed leader in the LaLiga with 59 out of a possible 69 points. However, the Blaugrana have had a thoroughly used week of late. First, the proud flagship club from Catalonia failed in the Europa League playoffs at Manchester United, which means that the 2022/23 season at European level is over for Barca. And then there was an unexpected 0-1 defeat in league play at underdog UD Almería on Sunday.
20:15
Coach Carlo Ancelotti makes two changes compared to the 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid tonight: Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modrić are preferred to Marco Asensio and Vinícius Júnior (both on the bench).
20:11
After winning five competitive games on Saturday night in the Madrid city derby, the Blancos only played 1-1 in their dress rehearsal. Real underlined just how good the Madrilenians are in form just a week ago when they won the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 5-2 away at six-time overall winners Liverpool. The motivation is also particularly high in the Copa del Rey. The Merengues have not won the national cup competition for nine years now.
20:05
It is the first of three Clásicos that are on the program within five weeks. Tonight it’s also about a preliminary decision about a title. Whoever secures the ticket for the final of the Copa del Rey after the first and second leg will ultimately have the role of favorites there. Last night Osasuna beat Bilbao 1-0 in the first semi-final.
20:00
Good evening and welcome from the Santiago Bernabéu. Here, tonight at 21:00, Real Madrid host FC Barcelona for the first leg of the 2022/23 Copa del Rey semi-finals.