3 players who benefited from the El Clasico
In an enthralling encounter between the two of the biggest clubs in the world, FC Barcelona drew at Camp Nou against Real Madrid in the semifinal of Copa Del Rey.
It was Lucas Vazquez who silenced the Cules in the Camp Nou in the sixth minute by giving Los Blancos the lead. In the first half, it was the away side who were dominating and creating dangerous chances from the counter while the Catalan outfit was struggling to efficiently use the possession with only Nelson Semedo and Malcom Oliviera showing intent to attack.
Things did change in the second half as Barcelona looked better on the ball and were attempting to create good goal-scoring opportunities. They were rewarded for their efforts in the 57th minute when a Malcom equalised for the Blaugrana.
While Lionel Messi's arrival on the pitch in the 63rd minute did make the Catalans more dangerous going forward, Madrid's defence stood tall and did not further concede. In the end, both the sides deservingly drew the game leaving it all to play for in the second leg of the semifinal at Santiago Bernabeu.
Without further ado, let's look at the three players who are the beneficiaries of the draw at the Camp Nou.
#3 Nelson Semedo (FC Barcelona)
Ever since his dream move to the Catalan giants in the summer of 2017, Semedo has been battling for the right-back spot in the starting eleven with Sergi Roberto. This season, however, he has been usually given the nod over Roberto at the right back position because of his improved performances and injuries to Roberto.
In the El Clasico, it was Semedo who started as the right back even though Roberto was available and he did not disappoint Valverde at all.
In a mediocre first half for Barcelona, only Semedo and Malcom were creating attacking opportunities for the team. Semedo was stellar for the whole game and even dealt with the menacing Vinicius brilliantly. As for his statistics, Semedo completed a whopping five tackles in the game, won 13 duels and had six successful dribble attempts.
All in all, Semedo put in an excellent performance against his team's biggest rivals and showed Valverde that he is ready to be the first choice right back at the club for many years to come.