On the back of two consecutive defeats, Barcelona bounced back to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 victory against Real Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Friday. The occasion of the match was the Copa del Rey semi-finals, and Madrid will be aiming to stage a comeback in the second leg at the Camp Nou.
Defender Eder Militao's own goal proved to be the only factor dividing both teams after the match, as Franck Kessie's saved effort hit the Brazilian and rolled into the net. Barcelona will be aiming to put in a better display, having been dominated in most departments and were only saved by some excellent defending. After the match, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez made his feelings known and stated that his team failed to make good choices. "I am satisfied with the effort and how we defended. We minimised Madrid's chances at their own ground, where they usually create a lot", he said.
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"It was a positive result, which I am happy about, but we have work to do on the ball. The plan was to have long spells of possession and defend with the ball, but we couldn't.
{{/usCountry}}"It was a positive result, which I am happy about, but we have work to do on the ball. The plan was to have long spells of possession and defend with the ball, but we couldn't.
{{/usCountry}}"Normally, we are better in possession, more precise. We didn't make good choices today, we didn't have patience with the ball, we didn't win the physical battles in their half, but there are other aspects of the game I liked", he further added.
The match also saw some heated moments including a controversial Vinicius Jr. yellow card in the first-half. The Brazilian grappled with Frenkie de Jong, headlocking him, and then wrestling the Dutchman to the ground. At first it looked like the correct decision to give the yellow to Vinicius, but on second viewing, the Brazilian was hard done by, De Jong also had his hands on him.
Here is the video:
Both sides will face each other in the La Liga on March 20 at Camp Nou, with Barcelona on top of the table with 59 points. Meanwhile, Madrid are second with 52 points. Meanwhile, their Copa del Rey second leg will take place on April 6.