Sports Desk, Apr 22 (EFE).- Jude Bellingham struck the winner in the 91st minute as Real Madrid came from behind twice to beat Barcelona 3-2 to come within sight of the Spanish LaLiga title at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
The draw sent Madrid, who battled past Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinal last week, 11 points clear of their nearest rivals and defending champions Barcelona, with only six matches left in the league.
It was the last realistic chance for Barcelona to close the gap with Madrid, and despite the heartbreak against Paris Saint-Germain, the Catalans gave it all to take the lead, not only once but twice, only to find they were not good enough.
Andreas Christensen met a corner from Rapinha in just six minutes to head the ball into the far post, dampening the party mood in the Madrid gallery.
Madrid were back in the contest 12 minutes later as Vinicius Junior calmly converted a penalty after Lucas Vazquez was brought down by Classico debutant Pau Cubarsi.
Barçelona thought they had found the lead when Andriy Lunin was forced to palm away a Lamine Yamal effort, seemingly from inside.
But Madrid got away with it in the absence of goalline technology, as VAR was unable to find a conclusive angle to prove it.
Barcelona were back in control against the run of play as Fermin Lopez struck from a rebound after Lunin blocked a Ferran Torres back-heel off a Lamine assist.
Barcelona’s joy, however, did not last more than four minutes as Vezquez thumped a half-volley past Ter Stegen.
Federico Valverde began the move in midfield and played the ball to Vinicius for a cross to an incoming Vazquez, who played the game for the rested Dani Carvajal and proved that he was a more than worthy replacement.
Bellingham beat an otherwise brilliant Ter Stegen again one minute into injury time to seal the win that also effectively ended the LaLiga title race.
“It’s a shame because we worked hard and things got away from us due to situations we can’t control: defending in the area, stopping a clear counterattack,” said Barça coach Xavi in the post-match press conference.
“It’s unfair as we dominated the game and we created chances. It was the performance we wanted but it has got away from us.”
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti felt the job was yet to be done.
“It’s a very big step towards winning LaLiga. We’ve got a big advantage, but we can’t lower our guard. We need to pick up a few more points and these games will help us prepare for the Champions League semi-finals,” he said. EFE
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