Real Madrid put on a masterclass at the White House on Sunday night, defeating FC Barcelona 2-0. La Liga is now their competition to lose.
Much was made about Real Madrid’s chances of coming up empty-handed in La Liga and the Champions League coming into Matchday 26 against FC Barcelona. The previous weekend, Real lost to Levante 1-0 in a fluky game in which they missed a copious amount of chances and were shocked by a late, goal-of-the-season contender.
To make matters worse, Real Madrid collapsed in the final 15 minutes of their first Champions League Round of 16 matchup against Manchester City. They were the better side over the first 70 minutes and jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Isco converted Vinicius Junior‘s chance, but the wheels fell off in the end.
All the pressure was on Zinedine Zidane and Los Blancos heading into Matchday 26 at the Santiago Bernabeu against their arch rivals. While they outplayed La Blaugrana at their stadium in December, they also failed to score and had even more questions in the attack after a second injury to Eden Hazard and more slumping from Karim Benzema.
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Though Benzema didn’t find the scoresheet, Real didn’t need him to. Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz grabbed goals out of nothing to lift Los Blancos to a 2-0 win, as Thibaut Courtois and the elite Real defense owned Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann in a statement-making display in front of the home fans.
Real’s dominant victory in which nearly every starting player was world class seals their standing as the best team in Spain.
In December, most fans already knew that Real had the best squad, as they outplayed Barca without Hazard. And then in January, they won the Spanish Supercup as well as every other game that month to emphasize their superiority.
Recent slip-ups against Celta Vigo, Levante, and City called into question Real’s dominance, and they slipped behind Barca in the league table again.
But by defeating Barca, they are now one point above La Blaugrana in La Liga and in a commanding position heading into the final stretch of the league campaign, with the majority of their tough road games behind them.
Real Madrid have looked like champions this season. They’ve withstood injury, stood tall to the critics, dealt with immense pressure, developed young players, and received resurgent performances from the likes of Isco and Courtois.
It’s been a wild season thus far, but their 2-0 win at the Bernabeu in the second Clasico of the season affirms their status as the top team in the competition. No other side has looked as complete, formidable, or tactically astute as Zidane’s.
La Liga is Real Madrid’s to lose. And at this point, it would take a shock for this resilient, well-rounded, and resolute squad to relinquish their grasp on first place. They neutralized Lionel Messi, converted their chances, and bossed the midfield. Real still have work to do in the Champions League, but the league is clearly in their control. The only thing they have to fear in La Liga is themselves.