El Clasico? El farce more like.
The game billed as one of the ties of the decade descended into a complete circus last night, and unfortunately will not be remembered for ringmaster Lionel Messi being at his effervescent best.
His timing and finish for the first goal was inch perfect, and the way he ran through the middle of the Madrid defence for the second goal was as impressive a finish as you will ever see.
However, from the moment reserve Barcelona keeper Jose Manuel Pinto was sent off following a half-time brawl it was clear that football would not be the talking point on Wednesday night.
When midfielder for the night Pepe was given a straight red card for an innocuous looking raised boot on full-back Daniel Alves, the chaos insued.
Mourinho was ejected from his managerial position, sort of, for his protests. He had to watch the rest of the game from a caged area adjacent to the dugout which in itself was no punishment whatsoever.
Pepe’s red card was undoubtedly the wrong decision as Mourinho had vehemently argued, but German referee Wolfgang Stark was done absolutely no favours by Alves.
The Brazilian spent thirty seconds prone on the floor before being carried off on a stretcher, only to jump up once on the sidelines and gesticulate impatiently to be allowed back onto the field of play once the game had resumed 10 vs. 11.
Messi himself was then guilty of similar playacting in getting Sergio Ramos banned for the second leg for a similarly soft foul.
The post-game interviews were contentious at best but in my eyes the Madrid camp has a point. Mourinho and co. are well within their rights to bring to the fore of peoples attentions the fact that Barcelona players for all their brilliance would not be out of place in a wrestling ring, such is the extent of their play acting.
Mourinho has been called a sore-loser, amongst other more controversial things, and many may disapprove of his outburst but what should not be criticised are his tactics in attempting to beat the mighty Barcelona.
Many have perceived Mourinho’s on-field tactics, including playing centre-half Pepe in centre midfield and backing off Barcelona whenever they had possession, to be negative. Real Madrid fans may not like it, but Mourinho has had more success in beating Barcelona in recent years than any other manager and contrasting styles are what makes football great.
If Stoke City win the FA Cup final against Manchester City, they will do so on the back of a solid, strong defensive performance against a far superior Manchester City side in terms of attacking talents. And if that happens, Tony Pulis will be hailed a genius.
And had Mourinho managed to guide his side to victory last night, he would have been a hero in Madrid.
It is important to point out that a strong rear-guard action and being physical in
tackles is not cheating. Rolling around on the floor holding your face when no contact has been made with you by an opponent, is.
People will rightly hail Messi as genius. He is the jewel in the Barcelona crown and undoubtedly the best player in the world. He has carried his side to a probable rematch with Manchester United at Wembley in May.
But, we will never know if he would have had the opportunity to do so had Pepe not been wrongly sent-off. We do know that the gaping hole in front of the Madrid back four would not have been there for his second goal, which has effectively ended the tie.
For all their technical skill and Messi’s undoubted brilliance, Barcelona are also the master conmen.
And if defensive tactics are not allowed to be used against them because referees are being conned in every tackle, it is unlikely we will see them beaten any time soon.
