When the goal that finally settled this match was scored, Gerard Piqué was lying on the floor in one penalty area and Lucas Vázquez was bursting into the other to slip in the knife. Barcelona’s centre-back had been sent up front as an emergency striker on a mission to rescue his team, to do something, anything. Instead, he was left with his head in his hands, desperately appealing for a penalty that wasn’t and watching any last hope slipping away. Watching Madrid slip away too, their full-back running the length of the pitch in the 94th minute to make in 2-0.
As it turned out, there would be another goal, which was probably more than this game warranted, Sergio Agüero scoring in the 97th minute. But there were no celebrations, everyone knowing it was too late already and the image of Madrid’s second, decisive strike helped to define the 246th meeting between these teams who once were giants. The closer Barcelona came to the opposition’s area – if only very rarely their goal – the closer they came to being killed off, the counterattack proving Madrid’s most lethal weapon.
