Zidane emerges from Cruyff-tinged Clasico the winner
Defeat will not derail Barca’s season: Enrique
A night that began with a colourful homage to a legendary Barcelona player turned coach in Johan Cruyff, ended with Real Madrid’s own version of a one-time playing great in Zinedine Zidane celebrating his first big victory in management.
Zidane’s men swept aside a tiring Barca in the closing stages of Saturday’s 2-1 El Clasico win at the Camp Nou to bring a remarkable 39-game unbeaten run by the European champions stretching back six months to an end.
Moreover, they did so having come from behind after Gerard Pique’s towering header gave Barca an early second-half lead, and despite finishing with 10 men as captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for the 21st time in his career.
“Madrid needed a prestigious victory and a performance of the highest quality,” said Madrid sports daily Marca on Sunday.
Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo got the goals, whilst Gareth Bale had another wrongly ruled out on a night when Madrid’s ‘BBC’ front three outgunned Barca’s star triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
Ronaldo’s winner five minutes from time silenced critics of the three-time World Player of the Year that despite his 42 goals this season, he hadn’t produced enough in the big games.
Yet, it was Zidane who exited the Camp Nou with his credibility most enhanced after his first Clasico since taking his first senior managerial role back in January.
“Super Zidane” ran the front page of French sports paper L’Equipe back in his homeland. Madrid’s hope in easing Zidane through the stages of assistant manager and then youth team coach was based in hoping he could be their Pep Guardiola.
An ardent disciple of Cruyff, Guardiola superseded the Dutch great as Barca’s most successful ever coach with 14 trophies in a glorious fouryear spell between 2008 and 2012.
Madrid’s performance at the Camp Nou was far from the virtues of beautiful football extolled by Cruyff and Guardiola, or even Zidane in his playing days.
However, it demonstrated Zidane’s savvy and willingness to take big decisions.
Meanwhile, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said his team would not allow Saturday’s home defeat by bitter rivals Real Madrid to affect their confidence.
Luis Enrique does not believe the defeat will damage Barca’s title challenge or their bid to retain the Champions League and King’s Cup.
“This game doesn’t exist any more, there’s no pain,” he told a news conference at the Nou Camp.
“The team were really up for the game, so were the fans, and there’s nothing else we can do but lift ourselves up. Defeats teach you things, they teach you that every trophy is difficult and the players know that.”