This game was a pure demonstration from Barcelona, which only needed 11 minutes to open the mark by Suarez. Neymar would add another goal five minutes before the break and Marcelo would save Real Madrid from being down 3-0 at half time. Real Madrid played poorly the second half too and Iniesta sealed the victory with a stunning strike while Suarez would finish off Madrid with a fourth goal. The last 20 minutes were accompanied by numerous boos and even some applauses for Messi when he came in 20 minutes before the final whistle. Coach Real Madrid, Benitez will try to forget his first Clasico and Real Madrid stands now 6 points behind the Catalans.
Coach FCB Luis Enrique on the memorable night:
On the victory:
“I’m satisfied not just for the victory, but for the way we did it. We were better and the team knew what we wanted and we got it. We made it into their area with ease and created a lot of chances. We were effective both on attack and on defence. I didn’t see Real Madrid give up at all. I think the result of the game is based more on our merit than Real Madrid’s lack thereof.”
It was a relatively easy decision to leave Messi on the bench to start the game. Both he and I thought it was the best decision after such a long injury.”
The first half was very complete for us. We were superior in the midfield. We knew the second half would be more difficult, but we wanted to keep control of the game. It’s important to win here, above all, because of the happiness that a win like this creates for our fans. It was a memorable game.”
Coach Real Madrid Benitez on the home humiliation:
“Whenever we win or lose we all have a part to play in the result. It hurts us a lot to lose in this manner and against a team like Barcelona. What we need now is to be united, work hard, improve and think about the upcoming game, as well as win the next three points that are up for grabs for us in La Liga to stay in the title race.
At half time we spoke about lifting our game and finding a goal. The whole team were dying to get off to a good start and that’s what we did after the break. At the end of a match, when you lose in such a manner, there’s not much you can say. What we need to do now is get ready for the upcoming game and lift our spirits again”.
We wanted to attack, press and win possession high up the pitch. We managed to that on a few occasions but not on others, and were made to pay for that. The plan was to pick quality players with experience and personality for a game of this magnitude, but things didn’t work out. Our plan was to keep possession.
I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with attitude. We were up against a great side; we made mistakes and were made to pay for them. Marcelo’s chance at the beginning of the second half was a pivotal moment. If that had gone in we would have been back in the match. That’s what we spoke about at half time. After that it became more and more difficult to find a way back into the game, mentally speaking. What I’m most concerned about now is getting the team to recover mentally in time for the next match”.
