Barca, Real in rare goalless draw as Clasico marred by violence
BARCELONA: Real Madrid outplayed Barcelona for much of Wednesday’s ‘Clasico’ but did not make their dominance count in a politically-charged match between the La Liga front runners which largely failed to live up to expectations.
The draw le champions Barca top on 36 points a er 17 games with Real also on 36, five clear of third-placed Sevilla.
Both sides had shots cleared off the line but Real were le feeling more disappointed a er winning the tactical ba le but failing to take their chances.
They also had two penalty appeals turned down and Gareth Bale had an effort ruled narrowly offside as the fixture ended scoreless for the first time since November, 2002, when Luis Figo had a pig’s head thrown at him by Barca fans who felt betrayed by him leaving the Catalans to join Real.
Play was briefly halted on Wednesday when beach balls were hurled on to the pitch by fans in protest against the lengthy jail sentences handed to Catalan separatist leaders two months ago.
“There was tension in the game and I noticed when some yellow balls fell down,” said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. “But nothing more. We tried to give a sense of normality.”
“Everyone wanted to see a good football match,” said Real coach Zinedine Zidane. “In that sense I think we can be happy.”
The game had been rescheduled from Oct 26 due to the political turmoil that gripped Catalonia in the a ermath of those sentences and was played amid a protest near the stadium a ended by several thousand people.
Loud chants of “independence” and “freedom” greeted kick-off
Everyone wanted to see a good football match. In that sense I think we can be happy.
Zinadine Zidane
while many supporters held up flags reading “Spain Sit and Talk” which had been distributed by protest organisers in a call for dialogue between the central government and Catalonia.
The action on the pitch did not quite live up to the tense atmosphere in the stands, however, as Barca failed to get going throughout the game and