Barcelona v. Real Madrid 0-1 23/Dec/07

The thrilling and over expected game took place this Sunday at Nou Camp, with Madrid side earning a 1-0 victory over arch rivals from Cataluña. Julio Baptista scored a terrific shot after a series of passes with Ruud van Nistelrooy. This winner leads Real Madrid to an outstanding advantage in the top position of the table. Frustration was seen all over culé fans and specially in the development of the team.
Barca had a couple of arrivals the first half but it was the early score by Baptista which defined the development of the game. A deception in the Barca style of play clearly set the weight of the poorly game in the shoulders of impressive Iniesta who was the keenest of players in at least break the tie. With Ronaldinho nearly playing as a extremo, it was the lack of opportunities and the impotency that was shown in his game, nearly a couple of dribblings but none of them practical. While in the Spanish Supercup Pepe, the 30 million Euros investment, played no less than awful, has shown in the latter stage of the tournament that he is up to such an important facet in Schuzter's team. It seems that Fabio Cannavaro's days of glory has passed but at least he has recovered the level that brought him to the captaincy of Italia and to the World Cup. In the other side, my countryman Márquez, showed the instability of his career, making an effort but not completing it. A disappointment in my opinion. He also has to watch his back, due to the current explosion on Mexican central backs that can cover his position even better than he does in Barca. Moving upfield, Eto'o and Ronaldihno showed nothing but desperation. Reaching the final blow Barca played with four forwards. In my opinion Rikjard has no idea of what to do in situations under a lot of pressure. He made youngster Bojan come out from the bench as if he could decide the match with a strike, the same as with Giovani. Sneijder play was terrific, always distributing and exhausting the midfield with ideas. He seems to revolutionize the football of Madrid and I have great expectations on him.
Finally ref Mejuto González was wrong in many of the clashes, favoring either sides in different sequences of the game. A match to forget to the culé side and a joyful, but suffered win to the capital side.