Showing posts with label El Clasico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label El Clasico. Show all posts
Monday, 26 October 2026
REAL MADRID SUPERSTAR OUTPERFORMED ENTIRE BARCELONA MIDFIELD IN ONE KEY STATISTIC DURING EL CLASICO
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| Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images |
Real Madrid went to the Spotify Camp Nou and played their best game of the season, securing a 2-1 victory and taking all three points from Barcelona.
Jose Mourinho got the starting XI spot on, with the tactics working beautifully to nullify the Catalans from playing their natural game.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham delivered an outstanding physical performance against Barcelona on Sunday, winning more individual duels than the Catalans’ entire midfield combined.
The England international won an impressive 13 duels, compared to just nine collectively managed by Barcelona’s midfielders.
Bellingham dominates the midfield battle
Bellingham’s tally was the second-highest number of duels won by any player in a single La Liga match this season.
The statistic underlines his influence in a fiercely contested encounter, where Madrid’s ability to compete physically proved an important part of their performance.
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| Jude Bellingham outperformed the entire Barcelona midfield. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) |
While Bellingham is widely recognised for his attacking movement and technical ability, his contribution without the ball deserves equal attention.
Winning 13 duels against Barcelona reflects his willingness to engage in challenges and come out on top more often than not.
Such intensity is particularly valuable for Jose Mourinho in matches where controlling space and limiting the opponent’s passing combinations are essential.
The comparison with Barcelona’s midfield is especially striking given the Catalans’ reputation for dominating central areas through possession and intelligent movement.
Bellingham gives Madrid another dimension
Real Madrid’s midfield used their physical prowess to overwhelm Barcelona in that area, and Bellingham had one of his best games of the season.
His ability to combine defensive aggression with attacking involvement makes him a difficult opponent to contain.
Against Barcelona, Bellingham was not just stupendous off the ball, but he also produced an excellent piece of skill that set up Madrid’s winning goal on the night.
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| Jude Bellingham outperformed the entire Barcelona midfield. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) |
While the number of duels he won cannot define his performance as a whole, winning more challenges than an entire midfield is not something that happens often.
The entire Madrid team looked completely switched on and were perfectly coached to nullify Barça, and Bellingham was spearheading it all.
With Los Blancos securing an important victory over their biggest rivals, the Englishman’s contribution deserves recognition.
Bellingham and Madrid have now closed the gap to Barça to just three points, and it remains to be seen whether they can use this momentum in the coming weeks.
- Pranav Kannan
Saturday, 26 September 2026
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ OUT FOR TWO WEEKS OR MORE WITH KNEE INJURY
France star sidelined with knee hyperextension but expected back for El Clasico
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| France's Kylian Mbappe (C) reacts after picking up an injury following his team's first goal, next to France's head coach Zinedine Zidane during the UEFA Nations League (League A, Group 1) first leg football match between Turkey and France at the Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit, on September 25, 2026. AFP |
Paris: France captain Kylian Mbappe suffered a hyperextension of his left knee playing for France, his club Real Madrid said Saturday but could be ready to play again when La Liga resumes.
"Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid's medical department on our player Kylian Mbappe, he has been diagnosed with a hyperextension of the posterior capsule of his left knee," the Spanish club said in a statement.
New France coach Zinedine Zidane said France were "not going to take any risks" and that he would not use Mbappe in the three Nations League matches scheduled over the next 10 days.
France travel to Belgium on Monday before hosting Italy and Belgium at the Stade de France on October 2 and 5.
Real Madrid's first game after the international break, with Villarreal on October 10, might be too soon for an Mbappe return but Spanish daily AS reported Saturday he would ceratinly be ready for the Classico with Barcelona October 25.
- AFP
Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Monday, 11 May 2026
Sunday, 10 May 2026
LAMINE YAMAL IS ABSENT FROM BARCELONA'S SQUAD LIST FOR THE CLASICO AGAINST REAL MADRID
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| Barcelona team (Photo/Archive) |
Madrid, Spain – Barcelona’s coaching staff has announced the squad list in preparation for facing Real Madrid this Sunday evening, in the 35th round of the Spanish League.
Barcelona will host their rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, in a highly anticipated match that could play a decisive role in the race for the La Liga title this season.
The Catalan team’s roster witnessed the continued absence of Lamine Yamal, due to the injury he recently suffered, thus continuing his absence from the Blaugrana matches.
Barcelona’s squad list is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Juan Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny, Eder Aller.
Defense: Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Coparsi, Gerard Martin, Jules Koundé, Eric Garcia, Xavi Espart.
Midfielders: Xavi, Pedri, Firmin Lopez, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal.
Attackers: Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Rafinha, Marcus Rashford, Rooney Bardji.
- Ahmed Khairy
Thursday, 7 May 2026
BARCELONA FORWARD SAYS EL CLASICO ''THE LEAST OF PRESSURE' FOR PLAYERS
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| Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images |
With the La Liga title race reaching its decisive stage, all eyes are now on the upcoming El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
The pressure surrounding the fixture could hardly be bigger, as Barcelona know that avoiding defeat would place them in complete control of the title race, while Real Madrid simply cannot afford to drop points if they want to keep their hopes alive.
Ahead of the massive encounter, Barcelona forward Ferran Torres spoke to AS about the emotions, pressure, and excitement that come with playing in one of football’s biggest matches.
Despite the importance of the occasion, the Spaniard admitted that players often feel less pressure during games like El Clasico because these are the matches they dream of playing throughout their careers.
“This kind of match is the one every player dreams of playing. It’s actually the opposite. That’s when there’s the least pressure.
“It’s fun. That’s when you most want to play, when you’re most motivated,” he said.
A decent record vs Real Madrid
Ferran already has significant experience against Madrid since joining Barcelona.
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| Ferran Torres is not too worried about El Clasico. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) |
The Spanish forward has faced Los Blancos 14 times for the Catalan side and has regularly managed to hurt their defence, registering three goals and four assists in those matches.
One of his most memorable moments came during last season’s Copa del Rey final when he scored after getting past both Antonio Rudiger and Thibaut Courtois in a decisive attacking move.
Looking back at that goal, Ferran explained that footballers barely have time to process what is happening in moments like that because instinct takes over completely.
“When the game ended, I barely even remembered the play because you don’t have time to process it.
“During the play, it was all about seeing the opening, and you don’t think about who’s in front of you or behind you – you just focus on scoring.
“When you see the ball go in… honestly, it’s an incredible feeling,” he concluded.
- Swapnil
Monday, 12 January 2026
Sunday, 11 January 2026
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Monday, 27 October 2025
Sunday, 26 October 2025
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Monday, 12 May 2025
FC BARCELONA RAGES OVER REAL REAL MADRID VAR ROOM 'THANK GOODNESS' REMARK
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| FC Barcelona fans and pundits that cover the club have been left furious by an audio recording from the VAR room made during Sunday's 4-3 win over bitter rival Real Madrid in El Clasico |
FC Barcelona, its fans, and pundits that cover the club have been left furious by an audio recording from the VAR room made during Sunday's 4-3 win over bitter rival Real Madrid in El Clasico.
The Catalans went into the latest addition of the world’s biggest derby crestfallen after Tuesday’s painful Champions League semifinal second leg exit to Inter Milan.
Once more, Hansi Flick’s young side went 2-0 down early, but managed to come back to lead the tie for the first time 3-2 ahead of Inter goals in the 93rd and 99th minute which sunk hopes of an impressive quadruple trophy haul.
Barca had little time to dust itself off, and prepare for a fourth 2024/2025 showdown with its arch nemesis in Montjuic at the weekend.
There were doubts leading up to kick off as to whether Barca would be emotionally drained and also lacking physically thanks to a gruelling 120 minutes of play at the San Siro.
True to form, they once again allowed a powerful opposition to go 2-0 goals clear through a brace from Kylian Mbappe on this occasion.
Thankfully for Culers, Barca roared back to overturn that deficit and lead 4-2 come half time. Because Madrid only managed to pull another goal back, the home team ran out victors and now harbor a seven-point advantage at the La Liga summit with three games left to run..
As is often the case, however, the latest of four clashes between the Spanish football behemoths wasn’t allowed to pass without incident.
Lamine Yamal appeared to have been fouled by Dani Ceballos on the move that resulted in the second of Mbappe’s three goals but nothing was called, and Barca also didn’t get awarded a penalty when it appeared Aurelien Tchouameni had handled the ball in his own penalty box.
"There you have the images, it’s a shot on goal. We don’t have many more powerful cameras," said VAR referee Juan Martinez Munuera, as explained by SPORT .
As shown by audio recordings, referee Hernandez Hernandez made a decision and then commented: "For me [Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut] Courtois is behind. Give it one more frame, that’s where the impact occurs, [with] the arm down. For me it's not a penalty, Juan."
Yet it is a remark in relation to a third incident that has Barca, Culers, and pundits that cover the club in a huff.
Fermin Lopez handled the ball on his way to smash home what could have been a fifth goal for the Blaugrana across the afternoon, and the player himself later admitted that he had done so.
Yet it is the fact that Munuera used the Spanish expression “menos mal”, translated as something close to “thank goodness” in English, to describe the development that has upset many.
“Listen to me Alex, we just detected a hand, okay? Come and see it, please”, you can hear in an audio recording from the VAR room, before the addition of “thank goodness” when it seems it’s been realized that Fermin had handled the ball on his way to beat Courtois.
FC Barcelona “should demand an explanation”
In a week that Barca and figures including President Joan Laporta returned from Milan complaining that bad refereeing had cost them the chance to reach the UCL final for the first time since 2015, at least their rage will not be as seething given they came out on the winning side this time round.
According to SPORT journalist Toni Juanmarti, however, FC Barcelona should still “demand an explanation” from Spanish soccer officials as to why the remark was made.
- Tom Sanderson
Sunday, 11 May 2025
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