The Great Lionel Messi scored his 500th goal for Barcelona to send them to the top of La Liga standings with an injury-time winner against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
The Build-Up before the Game
The 2017 El Clásico was a game with high stakes that was crucial for the 2016-17 La Liga title race. Barcelona were knocked out by Juventus in the Champions League quarterfinal stage in their last game and were hoping to bounce back. On the other hand, Real Madrid was in great form, led by Zinedine Zidane. Barcelona were already facing a setback with their key Brazilian, Neymar Jr., facing his suspension.
The personal rivalry of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo added extra intensity to the buildup, with both individuals being in great form. There was a clear tactical clash between both the greats on either side, Luis Enrique sorting Barcelona’s attack and Zidane with Madrid’s lethal midfield.
The match being played at a charged Santiago Bernabéu promised drama, pride, and unforgettable memories.
The Match Unfolds
The match started with a promising end-to-end battle, with Barcelona starting their attack with Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Paco Alcácer due to Neymar’s suspension. Madrid started the game with their deadly trio of Bale, Benzema, and Ronaldo.
The host scored the first with Casemiro tapping in at the 28th minute, after Sergio Ramos hit the post, igniting the Bernabéu. Lionel Messi was accidentally struck in the face by Marcelo’s elbow in a challenge, which left the Argentine to bleed. Messi didn’t leave the field and continued playing with a tissue in his mouth.
Barcelona Responds
Barcelona responded swiftly through Lionel Messi, who dribbled through Madrid’s defense to level the score, netting past Keylor Navas.
The second half started with both teams dominating with almost equal possession of the ball. Barcelona struck the second through Ivan Rakitić, who gave Barça the lead with a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box, leaving Keylor Navas helpless.
The score levels
Madrid’s hope became lighter when Sergio Ramos was shown a direct red card after a last-man slide tackle on Lionel Messi, who was clear on goal through a counter-attack chance. Despite being a man down, Real Madrid got an equalizer through James Rodríguez, who equalized in the 85th minute, connecting with Marcelo’s cross to level the score.
ALBA INSIDE, IT’S MESSI!!!!!
Just when the game seemed to end with a 2-2 draw, in the dying seconds of the extra time, Sergi Roberto ran diagonally over the pitch to feed a pass to Andre Gomes, who gave the ball to Alba. Alba’s cutback found Messi at the edge of the box, and he calmly slotted it past Navas to secure a 3-2 victory. Messi held his shirt in front of the Madrid crowd; the whole moment was nothing but cold.
I was watching the game at 3 am, and this made me scream at the top of my lungs out of excitement. This iconic moment still gives me goosebumps.
Very well written and the layout is pretty impressive. Good job
This match was truly iconic and one of the best.The last second goal by messi absolutely gave goosebumps and the celebration that followed was also iconic.Overall very well written. Keep up the good work
🙌🏼🙌🏼