SUMMARY
- FC Barcelona lost 2-3 against Real Madrid in their La Liga clash.
- Jude Bellingham's last-minute winner ended Barcelona's La Liga hopes.
It was a clash of the titans tonight as FC Barcelona took on Real Madrid in a mouth-watering El Clasico tie on Sunday evening. One of the most historic and iconic rivalries in the soccer world, even today, the Clasico manages to leave fans glued to their televisions for a duration of 90 minutes. However, it was Real Madrid who won the bragging rights tonight after defeating FC Barcelona 3-2.
It was FC Barcelona who scored the opener after Andreas Christensen scored from a corner in the sixth minute. The lead didn’t last long as Vinicius Jr. scored from the spot after Lucas Vazquez was brought down in the box. FC Barcelona was also denied a goal by VAR after Lamine Yamal’s attempt appeared to cross the goal line despite goalkeeper Andriy Lunin’s last-ditch efforts. Unfortunately for Barcelona, La Liga is yet to install goal-line technology.
Drama in the El Clasico! Barcelona denied a goal after controversial goal-line clearance from Andriy Lunin.
Reminder: La Liga doesn’t have VAR 😬#ElClasico #RealMadrid #Barcelona pic.twitter.com/qMLb7Ujmcw
— Sportsmanor (@sports_manor) April 21, 2024
FC Barcelona started the second half in a more dominating manner. Substitutes Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres had an immediate impact with Lopez scoring from point-blank range in the 69th minute after Lunin saved Torres’ initial shot. Once again, Real Madrid got the lead back almost immediately with Lucas Vazquez scoring the equalizer just four minutes later.
And Jude Bellingham wins it for Real Madrid!
Barcelona endure a tough #ElClasico loss again, as the Englishman scores his 21st goal of the season. What a player! #Barcelona #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/TTjIfaaLlD
— Sportsmanor (@sports_manor) April 21, 2024
In the end, Jude Bellingham emerged as the game’s hero after scoring the winner in injury time. Interestingly, Bellingham had also scored the winner in injury time during the away fixture against FC Barcelona when he scored a brace. After the end of the match, FC Barcelona skipper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen looked frustrated at La Liga’s insistence to not install goal-line technology.
🚨 Ter Stegen: “It’s a shame for football world”.
“No goal line technology, why? There’s a lot of money into this industry, but apparently not for the most important thing”.
“It’s just a shame”. pic.twitter.com/xcQznjnQau
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 21, 2024
The German goalkeeper slammed the Spanish league and labeled their decision to be “a shame for football world“. After the El Clasico defeat, it’s safe to say that Barcelona won’t be able to defend their La Liga title this season. After tonight’s loss, Barcelona are 11 points behind Real Madrid with just six games remaining this season.
FC Barcelona’s injury woes continue after Frenkie de Jong’s early El Clasico exit
FC Barcelona’s injury concerns continue to take a turn for the worse as the club enters into the business part of the season. Xavi Hernandez has already lost one of his key players, Gavi, earlier this season after the Spaniard suffered an ACL injury. First-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen also missed a couple of months after undergoing surgery to treat an issue with his back.
🚨🇳🇱 New ankle injury for Frenkie de Jong who’s desperate on stretcher as he will be out again…
Get well soon, Frenkie! pic.twitter.com/31yFgqTiYV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 21, 2024
Players like Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have been struggling with injuries this season too, making a return only recently in the first leg of the UCL quarterfinal clash against PSG earlier this month. However, it appears as if De Jong is set to be sidelined again yet after suffering an injury tonight in the Clasico. In the 45th minute, De Jong challenged Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde for a 50-50 ball and caught Valverde’s flailing leg.
De Jong, who looked visibly uncomfortable, promptly received medical treatment. The night, however, ended for the Dutch midfielder as he was stretchered off the pitch. While there haven’t been any reports yet, De Jong could miss the rest of the reason. De Jong’s potential absence would be a huge blow to Xavi Hernandez’s remaining hopes, if any, of winning the league this season.