I love you, Barça (5-0)

Barcelona (FCB)This date will live long in the memory of Barça fans as the team thumped five past their eternal rivals to mark the Club’s 111^th anniversary in the best possible fashion. Barça handed out a lesson in football to Madrid with one of the most spectacular displays in the history of this fixture. Xavi and Pedro opened the scoring in the first half and a brace from Villa and final fifth from Jeffren rounded off a fantastic night for the ecstatic Nou Camp faithful.

The worst thing: the win only carried three points and Barça find themselves just two points ahead of a team who on the night they showed themselves to be light years ahead of. As the fans’ mosaic before the game put it: ”T’estimo Barçá!”

Great start

Barça started the game as they meant to go on, with great intensity and immense skill and after just six minutes Messi hit the woodwork. Four minutes later, they were ahead as Iniesta cut in from the left and centred for Xavi to score from close in. Madrid had hardly any time to recover before Barça got their second, this time after a combination between Villa and Pedro. What a start ! and there was more to come!

Aggression

Madrid were looking groggy and tried desperately to get back into the game with their aggressive tactics –Cristiano Ronaldo setting the tone with a push on Guardiola that earned him a yellow card. In the scuffle that followed, Valdes was also shown a card and the heightened tension seemed to give the visitors something of a lift, but Barça’s immaculate possession football calmed things down and took the sting out of any possible Madrid reaction.

Villa magic

Things clicked again after the break with Villa, who’d looked lively throughout, breaking Madrid’s offside ploy twice to make it 4-0 as he latched onto two through balls from Messi. Lass was on for Madrid as they tried to limit the damage, but Barça were showing no mercy and at times just seemed to be playing with their supposedly illustrious visitors.

Jeffren makes it five

At 4-0, thoughts inevitably turned to that famous 9^th February 1991 when Barça put five past Madrid and with the fans partying in celebration Iniesta broke down the right to cross deep for Jeffren who outraced the Madrid defence to slip the ball past Casillas and make it an incredible five.

 

THE DETAIL

The goals

1-0, Xavi (min 10)

2-0, Pedro (min 17)

3-0, Villa (min 54)

4-0, Villa (min 57)

5-0, Jeffren (min 93)