Fireworks, goals and another Ramos penalty!
With the delays due to late finishes in European competition, and the Covid issues experienced at the Wanda Metroplitano, the season has had a stuttering start, but after Matchday 3, every club has at least had an opportunity to kick a ball in anger. Joining the happy throng this week were Barcelona, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid and Elche. And, by the way, that’s probably the last time that Elche will get mentioned in the same sentence as the other three clubs for a while. As Los Franjiverdes kicked off their belated return to top tier football in LaLiga with 0- 3 defeat to Real Sociedad, the other three clubs had much more encouraging openings to their seasons.
With the pyrotechnics from the Mare de Déu de La Mercè festivities bursting in light and thunder above the Camp Nou late on Sunday evening, Barcdlona provided plenty of fireworks of their own on the pitch. With the trouble and strife over Messi’s apparent desire to leave, Suarez moving on to Atléti – on that in a moment – and a new man at the helm of what was beginning to look like a particularly unstable vessel, Ronald Koeman sailed the good ship Blaugrana into calmer and encouraging waters with the sort of first half display of scintillating football not seen at the stadium for far too long.
Ansu Fati looked like a promising newcomer with plenty of potential last term but, with a scoring debut for Las Rojas and pretty full season behind him, there’s more than a hint of another superstar emerging on the flank of Barcelona’s attack. Two goals and the winning of a penalty, converted by Messi, said that perhaps Luis Suárez may not be missed as much as Messi suggested in that angry Twitter statement. It was also encouraging to see Coutinho recovering some of the poise and passing elan of his Liverpool days and flourishing in the number ten role. Four goals clear at the break, it was a ‘ pipe and slippers’ coast in the second period as the coach eased a few squad players into the season as well. All Koeman needed to set his night on fire was a goal from Antoine Griezmann. Let’s be reasonable though. The impossible can some times be done straight away, but miracles invariably take a little while longer.
On the subject of Suárez, he began his Atlético Madrid career sitting on the bench while Diego Costa beat up on Granada
in his own special way. A single goal, notched by a powerful Costs header and a missed penalty by Saul was all Simeone’s team had to show at the break but, if Barça enjoyed a good first half, in the capital it was after the break that the goals started to roll in. Two minutes after the restart Correa added a second and João Félix made the game safe after 65 minutes.
Five minutes later, El Cholo released Suárez back into football as Costa took a break. A couple of minutes later he created a goal for Llorente, before notching a brace for himself. ‘ Hell hath no fury like a Suárez scorned’ as the saying should go. Leaving the field after wards, the Uruguayan may just have been thinking something along the lines of ‘ chew on that one, Josep Maria Bartomeu!’ Two and a half hours later though, the Barcelona president may still have thought he’d done the right thing. Time will tell.
Sevilla got under way with an impressive win at Cádiz, despite going a goal down when Salvi Sánchez put the newlypromoted team ahead. De Jong equalised on the hour mark, and it looked like an honourable draw for the home team to build on their win at Huesca last week. Late on though, Lapetegui’s team illustrated their case- hardened winning mentality when first Munir and then Rakitic punished tired legs as the sands of time drifted away. It’s not unreasonable to assume that that Barcelona, Atléti and Sevilla will fill three of the first four places at the end of the season and if a quick glance at Seville’s other team and how they fared will guide us to who the other club in those top spots will be.
Real Betis have enjoyed a fine start to the season under Manuel Pellegrini, but facing Real Madrid remains the supreme test of both ability and character for any Spanish club. Victories in the first two games would have had the Beticos buzzing with hope and no little anticipation. Those emotions would have been growing when, after going a goal down to Valverde after 14 minutes, the home team rallied to be 2- 1 up at the break. If there had been any fans in the stadium, the Estadio Benito Villamarín would have been rocking, but in these difficult times, there’s only cheering at home and spilt beer with every goal to keep things going.
In typical fashion however, Los Blancos refused to lie down and an own goal by Royal soon had the champions back on level terms. Cynics, and fans of plenty of other teams in LaLiga would have put good money on the game being settled by a penalty for Real Madrid, and so it was. Eight minutes from time, Sergio Ramos did what Sergio Ramos does, and Zidane’s team packed the three points into their bags and scampered back to the capital.
Two Matchdays coming up in a week. In the first, Los Blancos look set to add to their points with a home game against Valladolid. Sevilla will also fancy their chances at home to Levante, as will Barcelona travelling up to Galicia to play Celta Vigo and Atléti visiting Huesca. Sorry to say that I can’t say the same for Elche at Eibar. But hey, they nearly got into the same sentence again, so you never know! Two matchdays equals more to chat about.
Hasta la próxima semana, mis amigos.