Franck Kessie scored a stoppage-time winner to give Barcelona a 2-1 win over Real Madrid in Sunday’s Clasico at the Camp Nou and take a huge 12-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid with 12 games left of the remaining LaLiga season.
An own goal from Ronald Araujo gave Real Madrid the lead just in the ninth minute, but Barcelona responded to claim a deserved equalizer thanks to Sergi Roberto’s composed arrival just at half-time.
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Real Madrid thought they had a potentially vital winner nine minutes from time when substitute Marco Asensio turned Dani Carvajal’s cross. However, after a lengthy VAR review, it was ruled that Asensio was initially in an offside position.
Instead, as Madrid raced forward in search of a winning goal they surely needed to maintain realistic hopes of overhauling their opponents’ La Liga lead, Kessie made a cut. Alex Balde in the second minute of stoppage time to dispatch the Camp Nou crowd. overjoyed.
Kessie’s effort was just the third stoppage-time winner in El Clasico history and means Barcelona now have a comfortable 12-point cushion and a first title in four years at hand.
With Pep Guardiola present, Barcelona were aiming to win three consecutive El Clasicos for the first time since the current Manchester City boss was in charge at Camp Nou during the 2011-12 season.
And they started out as if they were intent on getting this win. Pressing high and with fierce intensity, Barcelona rocked Madrid in the opening minutes. Thibaut Courtois had to be at his best to prevent efforts from Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha while Sergi Roberto fired just over the bar.
In the opening 10 minutes, the match had already seen more penalty kicks than the sides last met, which Barcelona won 1-0 in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg earlier this month. -this.
As in that match, however, it was an own goal that opened the scoring. On very little, Vinicius Junior netted a cross near the boundary line on the left and Araujo found his header in the wrong place at the wrong time to deflect the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen at his near post.
The goal was the first Barcelona had conceded in open play at home in La Liga this season and dented their initial momentum as Madrid gained confidence and composure.
But as the first half drew to a close, Barcelona again increased the pressure to enter half-time with the scores level.
Madrid did their best to keep the hosts at bay, but after an effort from Raphinha was blocked well, the ball fell to Sergi Roberto, who hit a perfectly placed side effort to beat Courtois from 12 yards.
The two sides traded chances early in the second half, as Federico Valverde cut an effort wide for Madrid and Lewandowski deflected a shot wide wide.
But it was Madrid who needed the win the most and as the clock ticked past the hour mark, manager Carlo Ancelotti duly went to his substitutes’ bench for two attacking substitutions – bringing in Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy for Toni Kroos and Nacho.
Almost immediately, Rodrygo had a golden chance to put Madrid back in front. But after Sergio Busquets gave the ball away to allow a clear shot on goal from the edge of the box, the young Brazilian launched his effort over the crossbar.
As the game reached the final 10 minutes, Madrid went in search of a decisive goal in the title race. But, with the help of VAR, Barcelona survived before Kessie planted a late dagger in Madrid’s hopes of retaining their title.
