Real Madrid 0-3 FC Barcelona: 5 Talking Points and Observations
Barcelona has booked themselves a spot in the Copa Del Rey final once again this year, beating Real Madrid by three goals in front of the Santiago Bernebau faithful. Luis Suarez scored twice and forced a Raphael Varane own goal as Real continued their terrible home record for Clasicos, having won just 4 of the last 17 Clasicos they've hosted.
For those who saw the game, you've got to laugh a little. Madrid were absolutely dominant in the first 50 minutes of the game, creating the better chances and not letting Barcelona trouble Keylor Navas at all in the first half. Barcelona hit Madrid below the belt as Suarez was fed brilliantly by Ousmane Dembele and El Pistolero made no mistake in giving his side the crucial away goal they coveted. That goal threw Madrid into a state of chaos, and it was good in a way, as they created a boatload of attractive chances with nothing to show for, as poor finishing and a defiant Ter Stegen stood between Madrid and the final tonight.
After more than 15 minutes of total dominance post conceding, Madrid lost possession cheaply and Semedo was allowed to burst forward with the ball. He slid a simple pass to Dembele, Barcelona's man of the match, who rolled the ball towards the face of the goal, where WC Winner Varane was forced to put it in his own net by the relentless Luis Suarez.
This humbling makes it the sixth consecutive year that Barcelona have advanced to the finals of the Copa Del Rey, and their opponents will be either Betis or Valencia, who are yet to play their second leg. Here are some observations from the game.
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#1 The penalty call that never came
A lot of people may not agree, but Vincius was fouled in the box by Sergi Roberto in the 15th minute, as the Spaniard raked the back of the Brazilian's ankle, and despite several replays being shown during the telecast, VAR apparently didn't see enough in it, or the on-field referee didn't, who knows? It's still a little confusing to me sometimes as to how exactly calls are made with VAR and who decides to pull play back to a previous infraction.
What do Keiran Trippier and VAR have in common? Pretty good at the WC but since then, quite horrific, to be honest.