Messi Double Brings Barcelona Closer to Wembley Final

Messi scored a magnificent double at the Bernabeu

Clasicos are always quite a lot of fun. While often there isn't too much football played due to scuffles, pre-match press room mind games, and the ridiculous amount of red cards often handed out, the football which is played is often brilliant. It was Lionel Messi again, scoring two goals the second more beautiful than the first. While Mourinho might be trying to steal the spotlight with conspiracy rants, it's impossible to take away from Messi's magical second goal which helps secure Barcelona's spot in the Champions League final.

It's best to start at the beginning with this match, as there was plenty of action. Mourinho organized his Real Madrid side to stifle the match in the best way possible. A tight midfield trio of Lassana Diarra, Xabi Alonso, and Pepe was prepared to shut anything down which Xavi and his teammates tried to create. While their job was to shut down midfield passing, they were also set up to stop Lionel Messi. Mourinho also chose to play Ronaldo as a lone striker, and while the greased up Portuguese player moaned, Adebayor replaced Ozil at halftime to give Ronaldo something to work with.

But in the first half Barcelona didn't fall in Mourinho's tactical trap. Guardiola must have predicted a defensive display from Real (I know, what a surprise), and therefore ordered his players to practice passing. The blaugrana kept the ball, passing around the Real Madrid bunker in little triangles and other geometrical patterns. 

The match wasn't all passing around. Because Real Madrid were constantly chasing the ball, there were plenty of late tackles and interventions which broke up the match and helped tension rise in the Santiago Bernabeu. At halftime a scuffle on the field almost finished in a fight, and referee Wolfgang Stark awarded a red card to Barcelona's substitute keeper Pinto. The first of the match.

In the second half Real Madrid now had the big frame of Adebayor to hit long balls to, whenever they got possession. But the match took a forseeable turn in the 61st minute when Pepe came flying in, studs up onto Dani Alves's leg. The Brazilian was spun around before he hit the ground, crumpled in pain holding his leg. The referee produced an immediate red card, leaving Real Madrid yet again with only ten men to play the match with. Mourinho's sarcastic clapping earned him an expulsion along with a free seat in the stands. From there he (not-so) secretly slipped notes with information through people to his assistant coach, who made the necessary tactical adjustments so that they wouldn't be completely humiliated.

Tricky Jose...

Fifteen minutes after Pepe saw red, Messi made his permanent mark on the match. Substitute Afellay received the ball out wide on the right wing, and a low cross to Messi was tapped in through Iker Casillas's legs. While the goal didn't exude the usual brilliance which Messi's goals do, it was still a breathtaking moment, and it makes you wonder, did he mean to nutmeg Casillas? 

About ten minutes later the Bernabeu witnessed brilliance in its purest form. Messi took the ball from Xavi, running alone at the line of four Real Madrid defenders. He runs by the midfield duo of Xabi Alonso and Lassana Diarra, skips past a defender, then another, around a third, keeps going all alone until he's right in front of Casillas and then deftly slots it into the bottom corner. Words truly cannot describe the sheer magnificence of this goal.

Messi dancing past the Real Madrid backline before scoring the second goal of the match

It was over. Not just the match, but the tie seems finished as well. While Real Madrid will put up a fight at the Camp Nou, this decisive 2-0 victory seems to have shown that for this season at least, Barcelona are the best in Spain. Thanks to Messi, Barcelona have defeated their rivals yet again, and are now much closer to the Champions League final at Wembley.

Best Images of Real Madrid's Copa Del Rey Win Over Barcelona

Now that Real Madrid has defeated Barcelona parity has been restored to Spain, and maybe all of Europe. Their last game against the Catalans finished 1-1, and Mourinho's team took that draw (which virtually won La Liga for Barcelona) as a victory. But now Real can actually celebrate an El Clasico victory and a trophy.



The Copa del Rey final went into extra time, with Cristiano Ronaldo heading the dramatic winner. The Portuguese superstar's goal allowed Jose Mourinho to claim his first trophy as Real Madrid manager, ending Real's three year drought without trophies. Now Real have to face Barcelona two more times in the Champions League semifinal, and things are looking a lot different then they had just days ago. Maybe we'll see Real Madrid progress past Barcelona to the final of the Champions League? Or will Guardiola get a reaction from his players? It's very tough to call.



I snooped around on the internet for the most memorable photos of Real's Copa Del Rey victory which ended an 18 year drought for the particular trophy.



Here are some of my favorite photos of the disappointment and celebrations at the end of the match:

Adebayor seems happy to have left Manchester for Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the hero of the match celebrates with the cup.

Iker Casillas kissing the Copa del Rey trophy.

Real disappointment for Barcelona. (Sorry about the pun)

Pique looks slightly disappointed as the Real Madrid staff and players celebrate.

A formal handshake between the two coaches...

right before Mourinho is thrown into the air by his joyous players.

Real Madrid and Barcelona Draw In Foreshadowing Clasico

Guardiola awkwardly watches Sergio Busquets and Mourinho

nuzzle noses in a memorable moment of the match

After my makeshift preview of El Clasico, things turned out exactly as I didn't think they would. While I was expecting an exciting battle between two sides wanting to crush each other, it turned out to be a fairly tiring affair to watch, especially the first half. The game eventually finished 1-1, with two goals scored from the penalty spot.



While Barcelona are a wonderfully inventive machine, it seemed as if Real Madrid had gotten themselves stuck inside the cogs of Barca's very technical system. Real started as a nuisance to Barcelona, nothing more nothing less. While Barcelona did their best to keep possession, Real defended deep and scrappily, stopping the game often for petty free kicks and other useless happenings.



Jose Mourinho's mastermind idea of putting Pepe into the midfield worked out perfectly, as the Portuguese-Brazilian was merciless in his aim to kill everything blaugrana. Alongside Khedira and Xabi Alonso, a three man wall was formed in front of Madrid defence, giving Barcelona a very tough job to do. While Messi's brilliance was shown in spurts, forcing Casillas to a good save as his defence panic, the Argentine was unable to stamp his authority on the first half.

Casillas got a hand to but was unable to save Messi's penalty

Yet Real Madrid were also fairly dangerous when they wanted to. Their cautious play was only effective going forward from set pieces, where they came very close to scoring with headers flashed wide. But Barcelona were dangerous as well, with David Villa brought down by Casillas in the box, risking a penalty for the Catalans. Simply stated, I've seen penalties given for less. But the first half drew to a close, Mourinho's mind churned through tactical systems and inequalities while Guardiola's speakers blasted out inspirational Coldplay in the dressing room.



The second half was sparked to life a few minutes in, when Raul Albiol's snake-grapple-takedown on David Villa resulted in his direct expulsion and a penalty for Barca. With laser pens flashing into Messi's concentrating eyes, the Argentine coolly trotted his run-up and put the spot kick into the back of the net. It was a disappointing start of the second half for Real, and things didn't look to get much better as Barcelona began to express themselves artistically in dominant possession.

Pepe wildly celebrating Ronaldo's equalizer

Jose Mourinho decided that it was all or nothing, and he substituted Benzema with Ozil and Di Maria with Adebayor. The pair of substitutes provided a necessary hunger which revived their teammates into a frantic push in the final ten minutes of the match. All this newfound Real pressure culminated when Marcelo earned a penalty as Dani Alves brought him down. Not to be bested by the short Argentine, Ronaldo smashed the penalty into the top corner in the 82nd minute.



The final minutes were the exciting frenzy I had been longing for. Real Madrid were fearless in their pushing, and Barcelona weren't really taking advantage of all the width of the field as their opponents were a man down. The match finished 1-1, with two slightly disappointed sides with some positives to take from the foreshadowing of the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League semi-finals.

El Clasico And Its Many Battles

El Clasico seems like an eternal fixture. No matter how much change we see in a season, it's this match which captures the attention of just about every soccer fan around the world. Admittedly, El Clasico has been slightly one-sided these past few seasons, with Barcelona having won the past five encounters. Yet maybe this match will see a change for Real, with Jose Mourinho surely preparing his players not to suffer another 5-0 defeat like they did previously this season.



Snooping around on the Spanish sport websites, there's quite a rift regarding bias in case you didn't know. In the end, there are Real Madrid newspapers, and then Barcelona newspapers, and reading only one newspaper can provide you with quite the skewed view of what should be, in Guardiola's words, "the match to decide La Liga". And while AS talks about the possibility of La Liga becoming winnable for Real Madrid if they win El Clasico, El Mundo Deportivo simply states, "Messi, Better than CR7". Truly unbiased reporting, isn't it?



Yet when I visited MARCA, a relatively Madrid biased newspaper, I found probably the best summation of El Clasico I could hope for. The strip at the top of the website shows four key battles which will inevitably decide the match. The technicians (Jose Mourinho vs. Josep Guardiola), the stars (Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo), the brains (Xabi Alonso vs. Xavi Hernandez) and the goal (Iker Casillas vs. Victor Valdes). What better way to sum this match up I'm not sure, but if I were to add something to the equation, I'd throw in the fullbacks, Marcelo vs. Dani Alves. While Dani Alves has always been a fearless machine of a fullback, providing a new way to unlock sides for Barcelona, Marcelo has grown to be one of Real Madrid's best players this season, especially going forward.

The two stars, Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo (right)

While I often try and delve into a well thought out prediction, I think I might refrain this time around. There are simply too many game-changing factors. While in other big match-ups we see two or three star players which can change the game in a moment of brilliance, Barcelona and Real Madrid are simply too filled too the brim with sheer quality. Whether it be a Mourinho tactical masterclass, a Guardiola inspirational performance, a curled goal by Messi, or a blasted free kick by Ronaldo, there's too much to consider when trying to decide a winner.



So to make things easier for you (and me) I advise you not to worry about the result until the match is over. If anyone asks a prediction, simply state, "An enjoyable 0-0, with a goal or six thrown in". Because ultimately, I'll be watching El Clasico for entertainment, and I highly suggest that you do too.