It was both Messi and messy at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night as brilliance from Lionel ensured Barcelona would take a 2-0 lead into this Champions League semi-final second leg in what was otherwise an ugly encounter.
Messi converted with a close range effort and a superb solo goal, both in the second half, after Pepe had been sent off for the home side, and Jose Mourinho sent to the stands. This leaves a repeat of the 2009 final between Barca and Manchester United very much on the cards.
So often a game where the football does the talking there had been a viscous war of words leading up to part III of this Clasico series, but finally we were back on the pitch for the first leg in the Champions League semi-final – a trophy neither side wants to drop from a double-decker bus.
There were three sendings off – one on the pitch, countless complaints and a bad tempered atmosphere. Messi’s goals, especially the second which was pure class, managed to ensure Barcelona fans at least had some good memories to take from Madrid.
First he made a surging run forward in the centre while Afellay beat Sergio Ramos to smash the ball across goal only for Messi to slot it home on 77 minutes. Nine minutes later, he dribbled past the Madrid defence with the ball glued to his feet before he trickled the ball in.
Carlos Puyol started at left back for Barcelona with Javier Mascherano at centre back. Predominantly a centre-half, this meant Barca played their famous possession football through the middle, with Xavi, Messi and Pedro supporting David Villa, who frequently dropped wide for the flair players to run through. They boasted 70 per cent of the possession in the first half.
Real meanwhile had Ramos and Marcelo on the flanks with Ronaldo just as big a threat in the air as on the ground and had Lassana Diarra and Pepe to counter the Barca threat. When Pepe departed, they simply did not have the man power to sustain it.
Mourinho was making notes early on, either thinking of more insults for Guardiola who rose to the bait before the game, or thinking of how to make sure he stopped Barcelona finding the crucial pass to split their defence, which was missing Ricardo Carvalho through suspension. But Barca were missing Iniesta.
After a first half that was all Barca with only one half chance from Xavi after some Messi magic, it was Madrid and Mesut Ozil that had the best chance of the first half. Twice he fired at goal from close range seconds before half time but twice Victor Valdes, anonymous until then, stopped a goal.
The players went down the tunnel with emotions running high and there were handbags as they came off the pitch. Substitute keeper Pinto displayed behaviour as outrageous as his braided hair and got sent off in a melee of players and coaches on the touchline. Pinto lashed out at a UEFA representative and referee Wolfgang Stark had a no nonsense response.
The second half started more evenly matched until Real Madrid went down to ten men against Barcelona for the fourth time this year. Everyone could sense the game would not finish with 22 on the pitch and it came true when Pepe was sent off on the hour. He came in high against Dani Alves and, under pressure from the entire Barca team who told him what to do, he met the requests of the pleading Barca team and produced the red card. There was a sarcastic “well done” from Mourinho and he was sent to the stands as a result.
Sixteen minutes later Messi stole the show. Substitute Afellay ran down the right wing and flashed the ball across goal, only for the Argentinian to tap in past Casillas and grab his 51st of the season.
He grabbed his 52nd when he skipped past all the white shirts in his path and slotted home.
There were no handshakes at the end and Madrid will have it all to do in the final chapter of the Clasico series, two away goals down and no Pepe or Ramos, who added one to his yellow card tally.
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