Real hold on for draw at Barca
REAL Madrid gained a measure of redemption at t he Camp Nou by holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday and taking the upperhand in the semi-final of Copa del Rey.
Neither Lionel Messi nor Gareth Bale were named in the starting lineups for t his first leg but t heir replacements filled the void as Malcom’s curling shot cancelled out an early opener from Lucas Vazquez.
After an impressive opening 20 minutes, Madrid were largely second best in a compelling, if unspectacular, Clasico but t he result leaves them well-placed heading into t he second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Februar y 27.
For Santiago Solari’s side, a resilient, gutsy display will a lso help erase the memory of their humiliation here in October, when they were t hrashed 5-1, a result that caused Julen Lopetegui to be sacked t he follow ing day.
“Comparisons are unhelpful,” said Solari. “But t his result shows how hard the team is working.”
Messi, who had been struggling with a thigh problem, and Bale, who faces a fight for place af ter recovering from a ca lf injur y, both came on after t he hour but neit her could inspire a winner.
Instead, it was Vazquez, and t wo youthful Bra zilians t hat took centre stage. Vazquez scored but Vinicius Junior, the youngest Real Madrid player to feature in a Clasico t his centur y, was his team’s greatest t hreat until t he 18-year-old departed in t he second half.
“I’m not surprised by how he plays because I’ve k nown him since he arrived,” said Solari. “But an 18-yearold boy play ing and developing in t his way, t hat is a surprise.”
Malcom was just as unpredictable and in t he end, it was t he 21-yearold’s inter vention t hat keeps Barca on level terms.
“The tie is in t he balance,” coach Ernesto Valverde said.
“A draw is a fair reflection,” said Sergio Busquets.
Barely 10 seconds had passed be- fore Toni Kroos snapped into Ivan Rakitic, sett ing the tone for what was a dominant opening spell from Madrid.
Vinicius led t he way. He was fearless, f ull of imperfections and erratic decisions but delivering moments of clarit y too when Madrid were at their most threatening.
Benzema sets up Vazquez
He jinked inside Nelson Semedo and teed up Kroos before producing t he cross t hat created t he goal, an arching ball over t he head of Jordi Alba, which Karim Benzema tucked back for Vazquez to poke in.
Rakitic and Philippe Coutinho were both careless in possession but Vinicius lacked precision to capita lise, first scutt ling into Benzema and then misreading the Frenchman’s run.
Barca had been just as f ra ntic, with Luis Suarez even tripping over his own feet. But they improved and after half an hour, were in the ascendancy.
Malcom missed a one-on-one and then became their best player for a period, crossing for Rakitic to head against the bar and teeing up Suarez to sting the hands of Keylor Navas.
The home fans ca lled Messi’s name at the start of the second half and when he jogged up the touchline short ly before t he hour, t hey roared as if for a goal.
They did t hat soon after too, after an equaliser of chaos and qualit y in equal measure. Navas rushed out to block Alba before Suarez curled a brillia nt shot t hat beat t he div ing Sergio Ramos but not the post.
It spilled to Malcom and he still had work to do, 20 yards out with white shirts in front. He found a gap.
Messi came on, along with Arturo Vida l, Bale and Casemiro. Vinicius was among those to make way, his bright sta rt fading wit h fatig ue.
Neit her side seemed sure how much to commit for a winner. Messi t wice weaved through but the best chance fell to Bale, who received from Benzema after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s skewed clearance. The goal was open but Bale’s touch was heav y and Semedo made a crucial block.