The first phase of the 2018/19 EL Classico at Nou Camp between Barcelona and Real Madrid ended in a shocking 5-1 mauling of 13th-time Champions League holders.
This were courtesy of an early goal by former Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho before Luis Suarez finds the net three times and a last-minute goal from Arturo Vidal.
Aside this last El Clasico, here are some other memorable Clasico matches:
Real Madrid 3-3 Barcelona (2007)
This match saw a great battle between the two best Spanish clubs. After disappointing in Europe, both teams were pinning their hopes on La Liga. Real Madrid was knocked out by Bayern Munich while Barcelona could not prevail over Liverpool.
Real Madrid was struggling at that time. The team was fourth in the table suffering three draws from their three previous matches. However, they certainly did not look like the team not in form when they faced Barcelona at Camp Nou.
Ruud van Nistelrooy scored two goals for his team in the first half. Both these times Lionel Messi equalized scores for Barcelona. And when Ramos scored in the 73rd minute, it was again Messi who came up with a wonderful goal in the stoppage time to draw the game.
The draw meant Barcelona were top of the table, however, this draw also served as a big catalyst for Real Madrid who went on to win 10 consecutive games. Madrid and Barca both finished level on points but the Camp Nou draw meant that Real Madrid was the Liga champions that year.
Real Madrid 4-2 Barcelona (2005)
Barcelona and Real Madrid fought a close fight for the Liga title in the 2004-05 season. Barcelona remained top of the league for most of the season and even managed to establish a significant gap with the second-placed Real Madrid before their encounter in April.
Real’s amazing midfielder Zinedine Zidane got an early goal for his team. Then Ronaldo and Raul each scored a goal for Real in response to the single goal from Samuel Eto’o. David Beckham was in superb form in that game and provided a brilliant pass for Michael Owen to score in the 65th minute. Ronaldinho’s late goal could not have changed the result of the game as Madrid won comfortably in the end.
Real Madrid went on to win ten consecutive matches in LaLiga. Even then, they could not win the title and Barcelona became the champions that year.
Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona (2014)
This match witnessed one of the most thrilling encounters between the two best Spanish teams. The result of the match at Santiago Bernabeu remained uncertain for the entire length of the game. Barcelona got their first goal when Messi’s brilliant pass was matched by Iniesta’s superb finish. However, Real came back strong in the game. Benzema scored a double by the 25th minute of the game.
Messi fired the equalizer just before the halftime. However, the match looked to be slipping from Barcelona’s hands when Ronaldo scored a goal. Surprisingly, Barcelona got two penalty opportunities and Messi scored on both these occasions.
After losing both the Liga games against Barcelona, Real Madrid ended their season on the third position in the league. Barcelona also did not fare well in LaLiga and came second in the table with similar points to Real Madrid. While Atletico Madrid became the Liga champions.
With all that being listed, it’s save to say this recent fixture who go a long way as one of the most top El Clasico matches to day which doesn’t includes Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.