Barcelona made it a game against the current La Liga leaders, but in the end, it was Real Madrid that came away with a 3-2 win over the Catalan giants in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal round.
Barca battled throughout the match against its longtime rival. While the side had its way in possession and had the edge in total shots recorded, Real Madrid got the last laugh as a late goal by midfielder Federico Valverde in extra time wound up booking Los Blancos a trip to the 2022 Spanish Super Cup Final.
Overall, Barca manager Xavi Hernandez sees that the X-factor in this edition of El Clasico came down to Real Madrid’s efficiency in counter-attacking sequences. More so, as he touched on in his post-match press conference, there are still several areas for improvement with his side.
“I am sad and angry because the game was there for the taking for us,” Xavi said.
“We played with a complex in the first 20 minutes, but we got over that. It was a day to be brave. This Barca side can compete against anyone.
“We lack some experience, patience, responsibility. We made mistakes. We could have stopped [Madrid's] counters and been more responsible with the ball. But we're close.”
In the big picture, Barcelona has now recorded six straight winless results against Real Madrid in all competitions, as manager Carlo Ancelotti’s side has notched five wins in these such contests.
Barring a historic surge in the second half of the La Liga season, Barcelona will now only have two opportunities to avoid a trophyless campaign. The Catalan side is set for a Copa del Rey round of 16 encounter with Athletic Bilbao next week, and it will meet Serie A side Napoli in the opening round of the Europa League knockout stage next month.
Plenty is still on the line for Barca this season.
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