A dominant Barcelona ease past Real Madrid

Barcelona exerted their dominance over an unrecognizable Real Madrid

Barcelona had not beaten Real Madrid since 2019. They were carrying a five-game losing streak into the Santiago Bernabeu.

On a night where their mettle would be tested, Xavi Hernandez’s men passed the test with flying colors.

A dominant Catalan side steamrolled over their rivals in a performance that leaves Barcelona supporters thinking that their team may truly be back.

From the opening whistle, Barcelona came out with a plan. In perhaps a questionable decision, Xavi decided to play Ronald Araujo at right back over Dani Alves. By the end of the game, that move worked out.

Barcelona got on the board thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. After missing a chance to put Barcelona ahead earlier, Aubameyang connected on an Ousmane Dembele cross after the Frenchman rinsed Nacho on the right.

The aforementioned Araujo doubled the Calatan lead in the 38th minute off a corner. Dembele registered another assist as his cross found the Uruguayan who was left completely uncontested.

Ancelotti made adjustments coming out of halftime but it didn’t matter as Barcelona got their third thanks to Ferran Torres. The former Manchester City forward missed a one-on-one against Courtois moments earlier. This time, however, he curled the ball past the keeper to make up for his previous miss.

Only five minutes later, Aubameyang got his brace in a rather strange way. The Gabonese striker dinked the ball over Courtois but it was called offside. After a VAR check, it was evident David Alaba was playing Torres onside. The call was reversed and the rout was on.

Despite there being plenty of time for Barcelona to get a fifth, they settled for a 4-0 win. The final scoreline flattered Real Madrid as the Catalans wasted a handful of opportunities. They could have won by at least two or three more.

Barcelona ended the match with 18 shots, 10 on target. Far superior to Real Madrid’s four.

Xavi became the first manager to win his first away Clasico since Gerardo “Tata” Martino. The win is also a statement that Barcelona are on the right path with the club legend. They were faithful to their style and it paid off and then some.

To add more merit, the Blaugrana were coming off a short week where they played on Thursday against Galatasaray in the Europa League. If they were fatigued, it was not evident in the slightest.

The victory does more for Barcelona in terms of finishing top four rather than the race, or lack thereof, for the title.

When Xavi was brought in, the objective was to compete. They’ve done so and while it may not be explicitly said, Barcelona may even leave the Santiago Bernabeu knowing they could have won by more.