March 2, Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid.
In the twenty-sixth round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Barcelona.
At present, Real Madrid sat atop the La Liga table with a three-point lead, while Barcelona were in second place. This had attracted the attention of media and fans around the world, who believed it would be a thrilling clash between two titans.
After all, Real Madrid had to defend their place at the top, while Barcelona needed to close the gap.
Especially three days earlier, Real Madrid had crushed Barcelona 4–0 away from home and advanced to the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona had been humiliated and vowed to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu Stadium and level the points gap.
Yet in reality, once the match began, everyone could not help but realize that this was a dull contest.
As De la Morena, the famous Cadena SER commentator, put it, this was a match with no rhythm and no speed. Neither team showed any ambition to attack decisively. They seemed content with the status quo and satisfied with a draw.
"Perhaps this is acceptable to both teams, because three days from now, they will face the test of the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16. That is the match they are truly focused on."
De la Morena believed that it was not difficult to tell from both starting lineups that neither team had gone all out.
There was no need to say much about Real Madrid. Diego López was in goal, with Azpilicueta, Varane, Ramos, and Arbeloa forming the back line. David Silva, Javi Martínez, and Modrić made up the midfield, while Hazard, Morata, and Di Maria led the attack.
The two superstars, Yang Yang and Robben, were both on the bench. Midfield regular Xabi Alonso was also a