Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid - Match Report

So that's it then, Barcelona are done. Over... finished...Well not quite. They might spend Wednesday tearing Chelsea a respectful new one, or do what they've spent the last two matches doing and passing the ball to nowhere whilst a team who do something as shameful as (whisper it) pass the ball forwards destroy them. However where Chelsea got lucky, Madrid's win was the most deserved I've ever seen against Barcelona, fitting for the almost guaranteed La Liga champions. Although the possession stats make it look like Madrid got a couple of lucky breaks, it was far from it. They bested Barcelona with an organised defence, unrelenting pressure and a front 4 passing and interchanging at a speed that would make rocket engineers at NASA take notice. Each time Real Madrid got the ball you felt like something was going to happen, that an unrelenting force was about to be unleashed on the Barcelona defence who (for no good reason) had their tallest and most accomplished center back on the bench against the powerful Madrid forwards, who bursted past the Barcelona defenders with speed, precision and attacking adventures...Whilst Barcelona spent their time passing the ball sideways outside the Real Madrid box. The Real Madrid breakthrough came from an unlikely source of Sammy Khedira, who pounced on a loose ball from a Real Madrid set piece, wrapping his foot around the body of Puyol to slot it into the goal. There was a call for offside but replays showed that he was in line with the last defender when the ball was won in the air and knocked towards him. Barcelona however, couldn't respond to this, a great team maybe, however they have no other plan than to pass it more and more. Which had got them few results to begin with and even less now. They did however manage an equaliser midway through the second half, Sanchez (who probably should have started in place of Tello) bundling the ball over the line after Casillas, who had had an excellent game, made a good double save but couldn't stop the final ball from going in. Barcelona had hope, however this lasted a very short while....72 seconds to be almost exact. The cheers from the Barcelona crowd weren't over when Madrid finished the title off in a sequence which should get all the people who have written off the Messi vs Ronaldo debate off as won by Messi, not only should Ronaldo, who was truly exceptional today, be considered once more, but as should Real Madrid's number 10. Mesut Ozil was an industrious hard worker, creative spark and catalyst for the decisive goal, playing a sumptuous ball into the path of Ronaldo who coolly took the ball round the keeper and slotted home for his 42nd goal of the season and a title medal around his neck. Barcelona had no answer to this, simply reverting to type and passing the ball to Messi who, after his disappearing act against Chelsea, stayed disappeared tonight and was truly outshone by his opposite attackers, who created endless threat whilst Barcelona created little other than tiresome possession. This title has faded from Barcelona the way they won the others, by trying to tire teams out with possession, however tonight Real Madrid wanted it more, they wanted to be champions, they never gave in and they deserve the plaudits. As today they truly outshone the supposed 'Greatest team in the history of Mankind'. Over to you Catalonia.