Xavi pours scorn on Real's battling show
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Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso (right) vies for the ball with Barcelona striker Lionel Messi during their Spanish La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on Saturday. The match ended 1-1. The arch-rivals meet three more times in the next 17 days, in the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League semifinal. |
Barcelona playmaker Xavi has dismissed the idea that Real Madrid's battling performance with 10 men in La Liga on Saturday would give it a confidence boost for Wednesday's Copa del Rey final.
Despite having central defender Raul Albiol dismissed just after halftime, Real fought back from a goal down to snatch a 1-1 draw in a tense encounter at a packed Bernabeu, the first of four "Clasicos" between the arch-rivals in three competitions in 18 days.
However, the result preserved Barcelona's eight-point lead over Real at the top of the standings with six games left and put it within touching distance of a third straight league under coach Pep Guardiola.
"Real will in no way emerge stronger," Spain international Xavi told reporters. "We were superior, faithful to ourselves and we came away with positive feelings despite not getting the three points," he added. "We had control, with patience, we defended well and the game just got away from us at the end."
Barcelona, which hosts struggling Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday, is on 85 points from 32 matches, with Real on 77 ahead of its match at third-placed Valencia.
The Catalans also have a superior head-to-head record thanks to their 5-0 demolition of Real at the Nou Camp in November that would clinch the title if the pair finished level on points.
Real is bidding for a first trophy in three seasons when the Spanish giants clash in the Copa final in Valencia. They also meet in the two-legged UEFA Champions League semifinal at the Bernabeu on April 27 and at the Nou Camp on May 3.
Barcelona dominated possession for long periods on Saturday and Guardiola admitted his team perhaps should have gone for the jugular after Lionel Messi put it ahead from the spot in the 53rd minute following Albiol's dismissal.
Real's players, for their part, drew some comfort from the fact they managed to come from behind to snatch a point despite a numerical disadvantage thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty with around 10 minutes remaining.
"The most important thing is that when we were losing and down to 10 men we showed the character to go on the counter attack and score a goal," Real's Spain defender Alvaro Arbeloa told reporters.
"If we continue to show such character we have a chance to win the upcoming games," center back Ricardo Carvalho added.
In other games, it was: Malaga 3, Mallorca 0; Getafe 1, Sevilla 0; and Valencia 3, Almeria 0.
