RELIVE: Real Madrid v Barcelona (Spain La Liga Clasico)

Ahram Online , Saturday 23 Dec 2017

Ahram Online provided a live coverage for Saturday's Calsico between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 17th matchday of Spain's La Liga

Ronaldo
Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - December 23, 2017 Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo has a shot at goal as Barcelona's Gerard Pique attempts to block Reuters

Full time: Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona



The referee blows his final whistle, Barcelona secure a comprehensive 3-0 win over Real Madrid in El Clasico to go 14 points clear of their arch rivals. 

90+3' Substitute Aleix Vidal completes the rout, meeting Messi's cut-back with a low shot that squirms under the body of Navas and into the net. 

90+3' GOOAAAAAAAAL FOR BARCELONA!!

90+1' Another Barca chance is wasted! Gomes blasts high over after being released by Messi. 

88' Barca midfielder Busquets receives a yellow card for a challenge on Marcelo. 

87' Barcelona are piling on pressure in the dying minutes as Real give up. 

84' Another substitution for Barcelona, Andre Gomes replaces the impressive Paulinho. 

82' Ramos almost pulls one back! His close-range shot after a pass from Kroos is superbly smothered by Marc-André ter Stegen. 

80' Barca waste a chance to add the third! Semedo breaks clear following a threaded pass from Messi but Navas blocks his effort. 

78' Bale misses a sitter! Real could have narrowed the gap. 

78' Vermaelen makes a superb interception to clear away a low cross from Asensio. 

77' Barca make a substitution. Semedo replaces Iniesta. 

75' Barca are in total control, toying with Real players. 

72' Real make a double substitution. Casemiro is replaced with Gareth Bale and Kovacic is replaced with Asensio. 

70' Navas handles a Messi shot as Barca bombard Real's goal with a wave of attacks. 

66' Zidane makes his first substitution. Defender Nacho replaces striker Benzema. 

65' With ten men, Real are highly unlikely to stage a comeback. Barcelon are devastating in counter attacks. 

64' Messi hammers home the spot kick into the top corner of the net. 

64' GOOAAAAAAAAL FOR BARCELONA!!

63' A red card for Carvajal and a penalty for Barcelona!! The Spain full-back handles a goal-bound header from Paulinho on the goalline. 

62' A tame shot by Paulinho is saved by Navas. Barcelona look capable of doubling their lead on breakaways. 

59' Real defender Ramos receives a yellow card for a foul on Suarez. 

58' Real's defence unraveled! Barca are in control. 

58' Suarez wastes the chance to make it 2-0! Messi feeds the overlapping Uruguayan, whose shot from a tight angle hits the side netting. 

53' Suarez finishes off a flowing move to put Barca in front! Rakitic races upfield unopposed to feed Sergi Roberto in the area, with the full-back squaring the ball to the unmarked Suarez to side-foot home. 

53' GOOAAAAAAAAL FOR BARCELONA!!

53' A chance for Barcelona! Jordi Alba makes a darting run down the left and sends in a low cross for Suarez, whose tame effort was collected by Navas. 

50' A Barca cross is cleared by the Real defence. It's still a largely balanced affair. 

46' Ronaldo cuts inside from the left but his shot is deflected and goes out for a corner. 

The referee blows his halftime whistle 

45+1' A Messi free kick strikes the wall. 

42' Benzema is unlucky not to score the opener!! He connects with an inviting Marcelo cross to send a glancing header that strikes the post. Another squandered opportunity for the hosts. 

41' A low Modric shot goes wide as both sides trade blows in a fast-paced affair. 

39' A chance for Barca! Navas smothers a Paulinho header after some great work from Messi down the left. 

37' Real Madrid are dangerous going forward. Barca's Sergi Roberto is struggling to stop the threat of Marcelo. 

34' Under pressure from Pique and Vermaelen, Benzema fails to connect with a low Ronaldo cross after the Portuguese beat the offside trap. 

31' A clear-cut chance at the other end!! Ronaldo's low, angled shot is superbly thwarted by Marc-Andre ter Stegen after a flowing move. 

30' Barcelona waste a golden scoring opportunity!! Paulinho escapes the attention of Ramos to run onto a brilliant chipped pass from Messi but his volley goes over the bar. The best chance of the game so far. 

27' Clear-cut chances are still scarce. 

25' Barca are gradually finding their rhythm but Messi is well shackled by a tight backline. 

21' Modric feeds Ronaldo after making a surging run but the Portuguese's eventual shot is blocked by the defence. Real still have territorial dominance. 

18' Barca's central defender Thomas Vermaelen is booked for a challenge on Modric. 

18' Barca make their first foray forward at the other end but the defence clears a low cross. 

15' Jordi Alba intercepts a Benzema pass inside the area as Real intensify pressure. 

13' Real are sending in numerous crosses from both flanks. Ronaldo commits a foul while anticipating a cross but he is unhappy with the referee's decision. 

10' A chance for Real Madrid!! A superb exchange of passes down the left sees Toni Kroos square the ball to Ronaldo, who fails to kick the ball with the goal at his mercy. 

8' Barcelona are yet to find their rhythm. The first Messi-Suarez combination is stopped by the linesman offside flag. 

6' Ronaldo's runs down the left are causing troubles for Barca's rearguard. 

4' Real are moving the ball around well. They have the better of the first five minutes. 

2' A Goal for Ronaldo disallowed!! Ronaldo heads home after a flick-on from Sergio Ramos but his effort is disallowed for offside. 

2' Real make their first foray forward, helped by some nifty footwork from Cristiano Ronaldo. The ball goes out for a corner. 

The match is underway 

13:35 There were doubts over the fitness of Real's superstar Cristiano Ronaldo but he shrugged off a calf complaint to return to full training on Friday. He is now fully ready to face Barcelona. 

13:10 Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has made one major change to his formation by using Mateo Kovacic in midfield alongside Casemiro, Modric and Kroos.

13:05 Starting lineups:

Real Madrid: Keylor Navas, Daniel Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Mateo Kovacic, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Jordi Alba, Thomas Vermaelen, Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto, Andres Iniesta, Paulinho, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi

13:00 "After losing the Super Cup we knew that we had to work as hard as ever and all follow Valverde, who I think has started to leave his stamp on the team," Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"He has been watching us for a long time and he knew what he needed to do to improve us. That vision has served us well, we are very good defensively and we need to keep that up, or improve it, for the rest of the season so we can stay up there," he added.

13:00 Barcelona may not have the same creative spark as in recent seasons and have on occasion been accused of being boring, but they have developed a tougher edge under former Athletic Bilbao coach Valverde, conceding only seven goals in 16 games.

12:20 The Catalans are six points clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid, who visit Espanyol on Friday.

12:15 Yet the Spaniard has moulded the team into a highly resilient outfit who are unbeaten in their last 24 games in all competitions.

12:00 Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde looked in a vulnerable position in August after the resounding 5-1 aggregate defeat to Real so soon after succeeding Luis Enrique, especially with Brazil forward Neymar having left for Paris St Germain. 

11:30 Seemingly the only positive Real will take onto the pitch on Saturday is that they are still world champions after retaining the Club World Cup last weekend with victory against Gremio in the final.

11:20 It is a scenario few could have foreseen after Real won a Liga and Champions League double last term and began this season so convincingly.

11:00 Coach Zinedine Zidane has overseen Real's worst run of results in the league in nine seasons and his side go into Saturday's encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu sitting fourth in the standings, 11 points adrift of Barca albeit having played one game fewer.

10:30 Real Madrid looked poised to sweep Barcelona away in La Liga after beating them so comprehensively in the Spanish Super Cup in August yet by the end of Saturday's 'Clasico' they could be a remarkable 14 points behind their bitter rivals.

Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid)

Referee: José Sánchez

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