Zinedine Zidane’s gamble pays off as Real Madrid resurrect season vs Barcelona

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Ben Hayward1 March 2020

This was the kind of performance Real Madrid fans will have wanted to see on Wednesday.

Zinedine Zidane’s side may find it impossible to come back after losing 2-1 at home to Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek, but an improved display against Barcelona has resurrected a season which had looked like it could peter out in a disappointing few days.

Vinicius Junior’s deflected second-half strike and Mariano’s clincher in added time sealed all three points for Los Blancos and returned Real to the top of the table after they had dropped five points in their previous two fixtures.

It was not always pretty and it was no classic Clasico, either. Barca also had the better chances in the first half, but Madrid’s high press and impressive work-rate ultimately paid off.

Getty Images

So too did the inclusion of Marcelo. The Brazilian’s return to the line-up was a gamble by Zidane after his problems in defence this term, but was also understandable after Madrid’s recent scoring drought.

Marcelo doubled up with Vinicius Junior on the left and Real were able to break quickly with slick, one-touch passing.

AFP via Getty Images

Vinicius got in behind Barca’s back line on a number of occasions, but his final ball was erratic, even bringing derision from fans on social media.

His persistence paid off, though, and his effort set Madrid on their way to the win, which was sealed by Mariano in added time.

Barca had a lot of possession, a fair amount of control and also good chances, but Quique Setien’s side were left to rue their wastefulness in front of goal, came up against an inspired Thibaut Courtois and were ultimately beaten by a faster and physically stronger side.

REUTERS

Question marks over Barca’s away form remain, both in LaLiga and in Europe, and this defeat is certainly a setback for the Catalans.

The title race is still open for both teams, though, with only a point separating the two and 12 rounds of LaLiga left to play.

And while it would be unwise to predict the outcome at this point, Real’s first league Clasico win over Barca in the league since 2014 has given Los Blancos the edge for the final furlong.

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