New Delhi: FC Barcelona are flying high this season, and they completed a clean sweep against arch-rivals Real Madrid, winning all four El Clásicos.
The final showdown of the season took place on Sunday, as Barcelona and Real Madrid squared off in a thrilling seven-goal La Liga encounter. Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe netted a hat-trick, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Blaugrana from securing a dramatic 4-3 victory.
Spanish starlet Lamine Yamal was also in top form, scoring Barcelona’s second goal in the 32nd minute. After finding the back of the net, the teenager celebrated with the iconic ‘Calma’ gesture, a move popularised by Cristiano Ronaldo, seemingly aimed at mocking both the former Madrid legend and current star Mbappe, who idolises Ronaldo.
But Yamal didn’t stop there. Following the ‘Calma’ celebration, he mocked Mbappe’s trademark arms-crossed pose, just minutes after the Frenchman had scored twice. His goal brought the score level at 2-2 and ignited the home crowd.
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After the match, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised his players but admitted there was still work to be done on the defensive front, with Madrid breaching their backline several times. The German tactician said, ‘It’s not been easy for us to work on some things in training. I know that we have to improve, and we will do it next season.’
Barcelona were also recently knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan, losing 7-6 on aggregate, another example of their defensive fragility. However, Flick refused to pin the blame on his defenders, stating it was more of a structural issue across the team. “I think this journey that we started last year is not over. I know we have to improve a lot in defence,” he added.
What’s next?
Barcelona can clinch the La Liga title with a victory over local rivals Espanyol on Thursday or even earlier, if Real Madrid drop points against Mallorca on Wednesday.