In a thrilling Clasico encounter on Sunday, Franck Kessie’s late winner secured a vital victory for Barcelona over Real Madrid and propelled them towards potential LaLiga glory.
Kessie’s 92nd-minute strike at Camp Nou gave Xavi’s team a 2-1 triumph over Real Madrid and put them 12 points clear of their rivals.
The game started with Madrid taking an early lead in the ninth minute thanks to a bizarre own goal by Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo. Attempting to defend a cross from Vinicius Junior, Araujo inexplicably headed the ball into his own net, giving Madrid the lead. However, Barcelona continued to press and created several chances throughout the first half.
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Thibaut Courtois made some impressive saves to deny Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, but Barcelona finally found the back of the net just before half-time.
After a desperate block from Eder Militao, the ball fell to Sergi Roberto, who fired the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net. Courtois was wrong-footed by a slight deflection, and Roberto’s strike brought Barcelona level. The first half ended with both teams level at 1-1, setting the stage for an exciting second half.
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The second half saw both teams continuing to create chances, but it was Madrid who looked to have taken the lead in the 81st minute. Marco Asensio turned home a cross from Dani Carvajal to seemingly give Madrid a late winner. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside, much to the frustration of the Madrid players and fans.
In the dying minutes of the game, it was Barcelona who found the winning goal. Alejandro Balde’s low cross found Franck Kessie, who calmly stroked the ball past Courtois to secure a vital victory for Barcelona. Kessie’s goal put Barcelona 12 points clear of Madrid, giving them a significant advantage in the LaLiga title race.
Overall, it was an exciting game with plenty of drama and excitement for both sets of fans. Barcelona will be thrilled with the win and will now be confident of securing their first top-flight title since 2019.
Madrid, meanwhile, will be left to rue their missed opportunities and will need to regroup quickly to keep their title hopes alive.
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