Last-gasp strike wins El Clasico for embattled Barcelona
Ensnared in a bitter refereeing bribery scandal, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid, 2-1, on Sunday to go 12 points clear at the top of the Spanish league table.
"It is a very important and deserved victory," head coach Xavi told the media afterward, adding, "We dominated."
The Catalan club has had a rotten month—one that started with its elimination from contention in the Europa League by Manchester United and then charges leveled in the Spanish courts for corruption. If it is proven guilty in the bribery scandal, the club could be retroactively stripped of several La Liga titles.
El Clásico couldn't have started worse for Barcelona. The club fell behind in the ninth minute thanks to a cruel own goal—Vini Jr. whipped a neat shot toward the near post, only for it to deflect off Ronaldo Araujo's head and into the far corner of his own net.
The deflection was so bizarre that even Vini comforted Araujo after the goal was given.
Barcelona got back into the game, though, with Robert Lewandowski and Raphina forcing great saves out of Madrid's tireless goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois. The Catalan club finally broke through on the stroke of halftime thanks to an unexpected hero—Sergio Roberto, a man who has received more than his fair share of criticism from the Barcelona faithful.
Madrid never stopped fighting, and it scored again in toward the end of the match to retake the lead—only for the goal to be ruled out due to an offside infraction. Madrid protested fiercely, but the referees would not budge.
Perhaps it was that sense of injustice that led Madrid to slip up in injury time.
In the 91st minute, Lewandowski tricked Madrid's defense with a cheeky backheeled pass to Alejandro Balde. Balde fired a cannonball of a shot across Madrid's penalty area, and Franck Kessié—a reserve who had only been on the field for 13—slotted the ball past Courtois and won the game for Barcelona.
With a 12-point lead and 12 games remaining in the Spanish season, this result functionally clinches the title for Barcelona. With past titles threatened by their bribery case, this 2023 victory could mean everything for the club. But Xavi and his players aren't taking anything for granted yet.
"We do not feel like champions," Xavi cautioned the media, "but it is a very important step."
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