DIDN’T NEED TO BEAT REAL MADRID HOME OR AWAY
By FRAN VILLALOBOS
Real Madrid is the only opponent Barcelona failed to beat in the league this season. Barcelona drew 2-2 at the Camp Nou and lost 2-1 at the Bernabéu. For the second time in the club’s history Barcelona has been crowned league champions without having beaten Real Madrid in either of the two ‘Clásicos’.
At the Camp Nou in the 7th round of fixtures, Barcelona had to settle for a 2-2 draw, even though Real Madrid was out of sorts following a poor start to the league, and eight points adrift of Barcelona. Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and two from Messi left the scores level and Real Madrid still had hopes of clawing back the points deficit.
The ‘Clásico’ was the only league match Barcelona failed to win in the first half of the campaign. During the second half of the season, when Barcelona visited the Santiago Bernabéu, things did not go right for the champions either. It was the lowest point of the season for Barcelona, following the 2-0 defeat in Milan in the Champions League and also having been beaten 3-1 in the cup by none other than Real Madrid.
With a starting eleven containing a number of reserve players, Real Madrid beat the rather apathetic league leader 2-1 with goals from Benzema and Sergio Ramos. There was quite a lot of controversy in the last minute, however, when, following a challenge from Sergio Ramos on Adriano, referee Pérez Lasa failed to award a penalty. This caused a lot of anger in the Barcelona ranks and Víctor Valdés’s protests and objections brought him a four-match ban.
Barcelona’s 21 previous league championship wins include only one other in which the ‘Azulgranas’ didn’t defeat Real Madrid. In 1991-92, both ‘Clásicos’ ended 1-1.
