Joan Laporta to see them again, the Madrid fans, but his second debut in a Classic was not the happy one that could venture into Barcelona. The new / old president of Barça wanted not to see them again, but to enjoy again as a visitor against a Real Madrid that he subjected to torture during his first term. But football is not played in the market … And on the pitch, his team did not respond as he, like all Barcelona fans, expected.
Zidane beat him on the board at Koeman and when the Barça coach reacted, in the half, the score already showed an alarming 2-0. He rebelled against the elements at Barça, went from timid to dominating, rubbed the tie, angrily protested a penalty on Braithwaite of which the referee did not want to know anything, let alone the VAR, but no he succeeded. And it failed again at the key moment.
What in September presented itself as a transition season awaiting better times, with the club busier in the accounts than in the titles, became in March a disproportionate euphoria thanks to an exceptional comeback, cutting relentless points to Atletico and keeping Madrid at bay without considering that the calendar offered him as much alibi as the mistakes of the leader.
But Barça, who already lost the Clásico in the first round at the Camp Nou, fell to the Metropolità, could not play against Valencia and were knocked down by Juventus or PSG at their own stadium, stumbled again. in a duel against a rival of maximum demand.
After 20 days, Barcelona lost again in the League and much of the charm, of the miracle achieved by Koeman, faded. Barça, who had made an impressive comeback and had come to play notable matches, fell again against a top-ranked rival. A week after the Cup final, doubts, at the worst moment, were redrawn in the Barça environment.
It took Madrid a quarter of an hour to put Barça’s shortcomings back on stage and a little more than half an hour to shatter their enthusiasm. He did it without brilliance but with solvency, knowing how to defend, organizing behind the ball, yielding the initiative without problem but biting him by force of speed. Koeman’s team was even worth the draw but Madrid, who needed to win yes or yes, knew how to read more and better the argument of a maximum match decided by the minimum.
Awaiting Atlético’s response to Betis, the disappointment at Barça is as clear as this furious and euphoric rage is drawn in a Madrid ready to repeat the final stretch of last season. The night that Barcelona could give the final blow on the table ended in disillusionment.
It remains to be seen how he is able to react from here a team that wants to rely on Messi (606 minutes without scoring a goal in Madrid), can not find his own personality when he needs it most.