Barcelona, now seven points clear at the top, could secure the LaLiga title as early as Wednesday if Real Madrid fail to win at Mallorca.
Flick cautious after classic clasico puts Barca on brink
Lamine Yamal of Barcelona celebrates with teammates. Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
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LaLiga: Barcelona 4 Real Madrid 3
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick urged his players to remain focused and avoid any premature celebration as they moved to the brink of the LaLiga title with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday.
Barca overcome a two-goal deficit as they earned their fourth consecutive win over Madrid in all competitions this season.
Barcelona, now seven points clear at the top, could secure the LaLiga title as early as Wednesday if Real Madrid fail to win at Mallorca.
However, regardless of Real's result, a Barcelona victory in their city derby against Espanyol on Thursday would clinch the championship for the Catalans.
"I don't feel like we are champions yet and I believe my players think the same way," Flick said.
"It would be nice to win the LaLiga and Copa del Rey double and, yes, one win is enough for us to do it. But this is football.
"Sure, we are in a good position but you never know what will happen. We have three matches ahead of us and all our rivals want to beat us, so we must remain focused."
Flick praised his players for their resilience in fighting back from two early goals by Kylian Mbappe to secure a crucial win that left Madrid on the verge of a trophyless season.
"It was not easy to recover after going down 2-0, but the mentality of the team is just remarkable, how they are always looking to attack relentlessly. It's nice to see them out there on the pitch," Flick said.
He added that after Tuesday's heartbreaking extra-time loss to Inter Milan that saw them exit the Champions League at the semi-final stage, the win was a statement of his players' grit and resiliency.
"It's fantastic. And it's all to do with training, how they like to compete with each other. You can see it in the training sessions. In the last four months it has not been easy due to the relentless schedule. I'm proud of the mentality and the attitude of my team."
Flick also had high praise for 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who was a constant threat on the right and scored a stunning equaliser in the first half.
"He is doing great. He has confidence in himself. He's also very clever," Flick said of Yamal. "For me, what's important is that after the games he looks forward. His goal was crucial and at 17 years old, he has so many qualities. It's just great to have him around," Flick concluded.
The teenager spoke to Movistar Plus after the game, emphasising how important it was to recover from Champions League heartache.
"It was obviously very important to win today. It's great to have this game after the Champions League, I think it's already forgotten.
"Suffering is what makes you strong and what teaches you to correct the mistakes you make. They didn't create any clear-cut chances other than the goals.
"It was very important to win today to get closer to the league title. We are delighted."
Mbappe opened the scoring from the penalty spot after he was fouled by keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the fifth minute and extended their lead with a quick counter nine minutes later from an assist by Vinicius Jr.
However, Barcelona responded swiftly with Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha all finding the net within 15 minutes.
Garcia headed home from a corner in the 19th minute, while Yamal scored the equaliser in the 32nd with another brilliant display of technique as he curled a superb shot from the right corner of the box just outside Courtois’ reach and inside the far post.
Two minutes later, a bad mistake by Mbappe in the midfield gifted Barca the ball, with Raphinha launching a quick counter and giving his side the lead with a tidy finish past a helpless Courtois.
Real thought they had earned a second penalty in the 43rd minute but it was overturned due to an offside in the build-up and, one minute later, a costly error by captain Lucas Vazquez gifted Raphinha the goal that extended Barca’s lead.
Barcelona came back strongly in the second half and had several chances denied by a string of stunning saves by Courtois.
They were shocked, however, when Mbappe reduced the deficit in the 70th minute after a quick counter attack by Vinicius.
Yet last year's champions could not recover, leaving them on the brink of a season without silverware.
"It was an evenly played match, competitive and fought until the last second," Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.
"We could have scored the equaliser but it is what it is. It was a great game between two great teams, so I have nothing to reproach my team for in terms of attitude and commitment. It didn't go well but we competed."
Reuters
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