In the Spanish "La Liga" championship on Saturday, the last three matches of the 17th round were played.
At 14:00, all football fans focused their attention on the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, where Madrid's "Real" was crushed by the "Barcelona" team. In the second half, the Catalans forced the collapse of "Real" and secured a victory with a score of 3-0, which now greatly brings "Barca" closer to the champions title.
The first half showed no signs that the match could turn in that direction. Both teams played quite cautiously - "Barcelona" had more ball possession in the middle of the field, but "Real" was sharp in fast attacks.
Throughout the first half, few opportunities were created, so all the action transferred to the next 45 minutes, which captivated the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium.
Right from the start, the Catalans took the initiative and in the 54th minute, after a great attack, Luis Suarez scored after a precise pass from Sergi Roberto.
It was a painful blow to Zinedine Zidane. "Los Blancos" tried to retaliate, but sloppy defending cost them not only another conceded goal but also further play in the minority.
In the 63rd minute, Ivan Rakitic broke through the middle of the field, uncontested, made a pass to L. Suarez, but Keylor Navas repelled the shot. However, the episode did not end there - "Real" failed to take over the ball and Dani Carvajal's hand blocked Paulinho's shot. That meant one thing - the defender received a red card and an 11-meter penalty kick towards the hosts' goal.
Lionel Messi's foot did not tremble - the Argentine with a powerful shot left no chance for K. Navas and the score became 2-0.
Z. Zidane threw Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio into the fight. "Barca" calmly controlled the ball, but "Real" had their opportunities, and twice "Barca" was saved from almost certain goals by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
However, "Barca" remained ice-cold and sealed the deal at the end of the match when substitute Aleix Vidal scored a goal just minutes after coming onto the field.
This victory was very important for the "Barcelona" team - now the Catalans gained a nine-point advantage over their closest pursuers, and on the other hand, "Real", in fourth position, lag behind "Barca" by as much as 14 points, although "Los Blancos" still have one game less played.
In another match, "Valencia" and "Villarreal" clashed. The "Bats" extended their streak of failures and had to admit the superiority of their opponents with a score of 1-0.
Results:
"Real Madrid" 0 - 3 "Barcelona" 54' [0 - 1] L. Suarez 64' [0 - 2] L. Messi (11 m. penalty kick) 90+3' [0 - 3] A. Vidal 63' D. Carvajal ("Real") sent off from the field
"Valencia" 0 - 1 "Villarreal" 24' [0 - 1] C. Bacca 60' S. Zaza ("Valencia") sent off from the field 83' M. Trigueros ("Villarreal") sent off from the field
"Deportivo" 1 - 3 "Celta" 3' [0 - 1] D. Wass 40' [0 - 2] I. Aspas 53' [0 - 3] I. Aspas 59' [1 - 3] F. Andone
Standings:
