Real Madrid Vs. Barcelona, Spanish Supercup 2011: Teams Draw 2-2, Second Leg Wednesday

The goal was set up by Pepe, who did well to control the ball off of a corner kick with his back to goal, then lay off a pass to Alonso. Madrid’s deep lying playmaker stepped forward and placed a great shot low and to the far post, beating Victor Valdez and bringing his team back into the game.

This is a two-legged affair, so Madrid won’t be happy with a 2-2 draw. Anything less than a win at the Santiago Bernabeu will give Barcelona the advantage heading into Wednesday’s match at the Camp Nou. However, Pep Guardiola was obviously concerned by the goal and his bringing out his big guns. Xavi Hernandez and Girard Pique have entered for Thiago Alcantara and Adriano.

The two goals have to be demoralizing for Real Madrid after they led for so much of the first half. Alas, that is what Barcelona is always capable of doing.

It was a beautiful setup. Benzema took on several defenders on the right side of the box and flicked the ball with his inside foot to Özil. Özil took one dribble and decided to push it by Victor Valdes on the right side. The ball slipped just outside his reach and into the back of the net.

Madrid has maintained the lead as we push forward to the 24th minute and beyond. While this game does not count in the La Liga standings, it is still Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, and both teams want it. Thus far, the early advantage has gone to Real Madrid.

No matter how much hype there is though, it always fall short. The games often turn ugly with fouls left and right. Players are diving and then arguing with the referee. As much fun as the rivalry is, the matches are rarely pretty. Jose A. from the SB Nation Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes takes a look at why the matches always fall short of the hype and finds that one of the biggest reasons is all of the hype.

Nobody is going to call the Supercup massively important, but it will still generate hype. The stands will be buzzing and the two sets of supporters will want nothing more than to come away winners, even if the match doesn’t matter. Because of it, odds are we get another ugly match.

“It’s quite simple: I think that Barcelona will win the trophy,” Thiago told Sport. “When you master all defensive and offensive aspects of the game and always enjoy the majority of possession, you’re sitting in pole position to win.”

“We realise that our hard work and typical style of play have led to a lot of success and will continue to play like this. Real Madrid are our biggest rivals and you never want to lose against them. That’s the case now, too.”

The question is whether it is possible for two teams to play each other too many times. If anyone could push the envelope on playing each other over and over it would be Madrid and Barcelona, but between two league matches, a Copa del Rey final and two UEFA Champions League matches, the rivals played five teams last season. Now they will play two more time, although neither match this week has anything near as much on the line as they did in any of their five matches a year ago.

Nobody is going to call the Supercup a highly competitive match, but any time Madrid and Barcelona square off there is always some intensity just because of the rivalry. Add in the intrigue of seeing how the two teams work in their new players and maybe the matches are actually worth watching. Just don’t try to say that the matches matter.