Barcelona vs Real Madrid LaLiga LIVE Football Score 24 Oct 2021
MATCH INFO
ABOUT THE MATCH
Barcelona is going head to head with Real Madrid starting on 24 Oct 2021 at 16:00 UTC at Camp Nou stadium, Barcelona city, Spain. The match is a part of the LaLiga.
El Clásico or el clásico (Spanish pronunciation: [el ˈklasiko]; Catalan: El Clàssic,pronounced [əl ˈklasik]; “The Classic”) is the name given in football to any match between fierce rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Originally it referred only to those competitions held in the Spanish championship, but nowadays the term has been generalized, and tends to include every single match between the two clubs: UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, etc. Other than the UEFA Champions League Final, it is considered one of the biggest club football games in the world, and is among the most viewed annual sporting events.A fixture known for its intensity, it has featured memorable goal celebrations from both teams, often involving mocking the opposition.
The rivalry comes about as Madrid and Barcelona are the two largest cities in Spain, and they are sometimes identified with opposing political positions, with Real Madrid viewed as representing Spanish nationalism and Barcelona viewed as representing Catalan nationalism. The rivalry is regarded as one of the biggest in world sportThe two clubs are among the richest and most successful football clubs in the world; in 2014 Forbes ranked Barcelona and Real Madrid the world’s two most valuable sports teams] Both clubs have a global fanbase; they are the world’s two most followed sports teams on social media
Real Madrid leads in head-to-head results in competitive matches with 98 wins to Barcelona’s 96; Barcelona leads in exhibition matches with 19 victories to Madrid’s 4 and in total matches with 115 wins to Madrid’s 102 as of the match played on 10 April 2021. Along with Athletic Bilbao, they are the only clubs in La Liga to have never been relegated.
Karim Benzema broke the deadlock with a sublime near-post flick – his ninth goal in his past seven La Liga games. Real doubled their lead before half-time through Toni Kroos’ deflected free-kick. Oscar Mingueza pulled one back for Barca before Madrid’s Casemiro was shown a late red card. Barca midfielder Ilaix Moriba’s well-struck shot came back off the crossbar in stoppage time as the hosts held on.
The result takes Real above city rivals Atletico Madrid because of their superior head-to-head record. Atletico, who led La Liga by 10 points as recently as 31 January, can reclaim top spot with victory at Real Betis on Sunday.
Real survive tense finale
Manager Zinedine Zidane’s “every game is a final” mantra has served Real well in recent weeks – they had dropped only four points in their previous nine La Liga outings going into Saturday’s crucial game.
Benzema’s goals have been key in helping them cut the gap to rivals Atletico at the top of the table, and the Frenchman produced another exquisite finish to give Zidane’s side an early lead.
The 33-year-old was first to Lucas Vazquez’s low cross towards the near post, squeezing a backheeled flick past Marc-Andre ter Stegen for his 25th goal in 35 appearances this season.
Barcelona, who had revived their own title aspirations with 16 wins and three draws from their previous 19 La Liga fixtures, dominated possession but fell further behind when Kroos’ free-kick took a deflection off Sergino Dest on its way past Ter Stegen.
Federico Valverde could have made it 3-0 before half-time, but his fierce drive across goal came back off the inside of the far post.
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman switched from a 3-5-2 to a 4-3-3 formation in the second half and the move paid off 15 minutes after the restart, Mingueza turning Jordi Alba’s cross past Thibaut Courtois to set up a tense finish.
Vinicius Junior was denied by the post as Real threatened to restore their two-goal advantage, before Lionel Messi – who had rattled the woodwork in the first half with an inswinging corner – struck the wall from a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Barcelona had a penalty appeal turned down when Martin Braithwaite went to ground under Ferland Mendy’s challenge, before a late tackle on Mingueza earned Casemiro a second yellow card.
The visitors almost snatched a draw in second-half stoppage time when Moriba thumped a loose ball against Courtois’ crossbar, but Real held on to record three consecutive El Clasico wins for the first time since 1978.
