Malcom’s goal salvages a draw for Barcelona against Real Madrid

Malcom was given the rare start with Messi on the bench and he made the most of it.

It has not been the smoothest transition for Malcom in his first season with Barcelona. But the Brazilian proved a vital piece of the team as he scored Barcelona’s lone goal in their game against Real Madrid

The big question leading up to the Copa del Rey clasico had to do with Messi’s fitness and whether or not the Argentine would feature from the start. Hours before the game, all signs pointed that Messi would start from the bench. The question then became who would replace him? Some speculated it would be Sergi Roberto as he’s played there before and in games against Real Madrid. Ernesto Valverde opted for Malcom and once the game was over, it proved to be the right decision.

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Real Madrid came out of the gate fast and was on top of Barcelona straight away. So much so that Lucas Vazquez opened up the scoring six minutes in. It was no less than the visiting side deserved. Barcelona got into the game as the half went on and Malcom had an amazing chance to level it but he stumbled prior to taking his shot which Keylor Navas saved. The play was called off because of offside but had Malcom scored, it would have gone to VAR and the goal would have stood.

Barcelona finally got fully into the game in the second half as they had a few shots on target saved by Navas and another hit the post. The home side broke through on a hectic play. After a collision between Navas and Alba, Luis Suarez picked up the loose ball and shot at the left side of the post. It ricocheted to Malcom on the right who cut slightly inside and equalized. While not the same emotion as his goal against Inter Milan, Malcom celebrated that goal emphatically and rightly so.

He was the best player on the pitch for Barcelona and the only one who showed any sort of spark with the absence of Messi. Most of Barcelona’s dangerous attacks came from the right side and had his finishing been a little better, he could have had a brace. He was their man of the match despite being subbed off late in the second half.

As mentioned, it hasn’t been easy for the Brazilian. He had that moment against Inter in the Champions League but very little since then. He’s featured mostly in the cup games and the team has either drawn or lost those games in which he’s started. With Coutinho’s continued struggles and Dembele coming back from an injury, there may not be a better time for Malcom to make a case for himself. His goal and overall performance against Real Madrid was a step in the right direction.