Real Madrid hosted Barcelona at Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano on Sunday 24 March for a league Clásico and were defeated 0-3 by the Blaugrana.
First half
Despite Real Madrid kicking off the game, it was the visitors that took the advantage and scored the opener just nine minutes in.
Barcelona’s Ona Batlle kicked the ball forward to Caroline Graham Hansen before making a run into the box to receive the assist.
Batlle’s subsequent cross into the middle was met effortlessly by Fridolina Rolfö who made it 0-1 to the visitors. The left-back recently made her comeback after being out injured for seven and a half months.
Another big chance came for Barcelona in the 16th minute, but Graham Hansen’s cross to Claudia Pina was shot wide.
Barcelona continued to dominate most of the attacking play, and it was their free-kick in the 24th minute that was denied by some fine goalkeeping from Misa Rodríguez, Real Madrid’s #1.
The home side then counter-attacked and a narrow defending tackle from Irene Paredes nearly resulted in a Barcelona own-goal.
To the relief of the visitors however, it went off the post and they were saved by the bar.
In the 33rd minute, Graham Hansen got past four defenders but her shot went wide.
A long ball from Keira Walsh found Aitana Bonmatí outside of the penalty box with space. Bonmatí took her shot but Misa made the leap and punched the ball up and away.
Two minutes later, Misa made the dangerous mistake of passing the ball directly to Bonmatí with no white shirts between the Ballon d’Or winner and the net.
But fortunately for the home team, Misa mustered a massive save as she blocked Bonmatí’s shot and sent the ball wide.
However, Madrid was not out of danger yet as Barcelona immediately won a corner. Salma Paralluelo took it short and passed to Graham Hansen who crossed it towards the middle as Salma made the run.
Salma’s shot hit the top bar and this was the final big chance of the first half as it ended 0-1 in 46 minutes.
Second half
Barcelona’s dominance endured into the second half, and in the 54th minute another forceful long ball from Walsh was kept in by Graham Hansen after Olga Carmona hit the ground trying to defend her efforts.
Graham Hansen’s cross into the middle was then met by Bonmatí who made it 0-2 to double the visitors’ lead.
Barcelona made the first change of the game and Mariona Caldentey came on for Pina.
Real Madrid soon followed suit, taking off Signe Bruun and Claudia Zornoza for Caroline Møller Hansen and Hayley Raso.
At the 62nd minute, Madrid made a forward play before being dispossessed by Ingrid Engen.
Barcelona made the counter-attack from Paredes to Bonmatí, but Graham Hansen’s shot was saved by Misa in a continuously defiant performance despite the scoreline.
Real Madrid struggled to dispossess Barcelona in the 66th minute and once again mistakenly gave Bonmatí too much space.
Receiving the ball, Graham Hansen got past several Real Madrid players, shot past a fourth opponent and Misa herself, and Barcelona had their third.
At the 70th minute, Walsh and Bonmatí were taken off for Vicky López and Alexia Putellas, who returned to the Clásico for the first time since March 2022 due to a series of injuries.
Three minutes later, Madrid’s Maite Oroz came on for Linda Caicedo.
At the 75th minute, with Barcelona searching for yet another goal, Graham Hansen once again got past three opponents in attack but ultimately, Mariona’s service to Vicky López went wide.
Rolfö and Graham Hansen soon went off for Marta Torrejon and Esmee Brugts, who got a yellow card after just two minutes on the pitch.
The last two changes came from Real Madrid who subbed on Freja Olofsson and Naomie Feller for Teresa Abelleira and Athenea.
Despite a flurry of late attempts from Real Madrid to find some consolation, the match ended 0-3 to the visitors in a comfortable win that now sends them 12 points clear at the top of Liga F.
Real Madrid’s latest defeat in el Clásico femenino marks their fourteenth loss out of fourteen to a dominant Barcelona, who remains in a league of their own.
📋 ¡Nuestro 𝗫𝗜 inicial!@UnicajaBanco | #LigaF pic.twitter.com/JFNeOknKfQ
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadridfem) March 24, 2024
🚨 ALINEACIÓ 🚨#ElClàssic pic.twitter.com/g8WTgX2qlA
— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) March 24, 2024
Featured image courtesy of Jenny Chen.