Barcelona Edge Out Real Madrid in Thrilling Pre-Season Clasico
Barcelona claimed bragging rights over Real Madrid in a highly anticipated pre-season Clasico at MetLife Stadium in New York. Pau Victor stole the show with a brace, securing a 2-1 victory for the Blaugrana.
Pau Victor found the back of the net either side of half-time with two well-taken finishes from inside, while Nico Paz scored late on for Real Madrid to set up a tense final ten minutes.
But the Blaugrana, who beat reigning Premier League champions Manchester City earlier this week, were able to hold their own in front of a packed crowd to secure a 2-1 win in New York.
The win marked their second consecutive win in the preliminaries. Young talents from La Masia’s academy, including Marco Bernal, Marco Casado and Alex Valle, also showed what they have to offer during the match.
After the match, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick addressed the media and stated that while he was pleased with the win, he felt there were areas for improvement in the team’s performance.
The German said: “A win against Real Madrid? Well, we didn’t press for the whole 90 minutes. That’s a problem.
“We knew it was a Clasico game even though it was a season ago. I told my players that we want to see an improvement on the pitch compared to what was shown against Man City.”
“I believe that happened. We did a good job. In some situations during the game, we collapse too much and we don’t put pressure on the opponent who has the ball.”
“That can’t happen. That’s the problem. We have to focus on that and push for the whole game.”
