Barcelona Snatches A Game-Changing Clásico

Clásicos have always been fervent, feverish, feisty encounters. And now they come in waves—the latest a 2-1 home victory for Barcelona to extend its league advantage to 12 points over derby loser Real Madrid in second place.

Including a hyped-up preseason friendly in the U.S., a glitzy Super Cup final, Real’s home win in La Liga, and the first of two Copa del Rey semifinals, this was grudge match five of six this campaign. And it was perhaps the definitive one.

In a modern-day tussle where Sergi Roberto and Franck Kessie were the goalscoring stars, rather than familiar narrative-setting Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—yesteryear faces illuminating this matchup for so long—Barcelona took its first real bite out of Madrid under coach Xavi, snatching a last-gasp three points. A heavy favorite for the title, it now possesses a psychological edge over the most resilient team in world soccer.

Indeed, this was a game-changing clásico—both in the broader context, of which there is plenty to discuss, and the championship battle itself, with Barcelona poised for a first domestic crown in four seasons.

El Clásico, but not as you know it

This iconic game reportedly draws over 650 million pairs of eyeballs per episode, though this remarkable pull may be a little misleading. After all, worldwide viewership and reach are not quite the same. What’s clear is that La Liga has targeted social media to meet an untapped, generally younger global audience in its showpiece event. How we consume this soccer show is changing.

In this instance, it was all about TikTok—which has over a billion users. If watching the action wasn’t enough, the league provided some unique engagements through the platform—from content creator contributions to touchline reactions and prize draws. This clásico was comprehensive—with those watching outside the Camp Nou stadium loaded with coverage beyond the one screen, before, during, and after the 90-plus minutes.

Continuing a trend from this season, viewers could virtually touch the action, too, even after the final whistle. The Gol-Ball concept allows supporters to claim the balls for each league goal as digital and physical collectibles, and this meeting was no different. Given the unique buzz around this match, these items will be the most coveted since the idea came into force this 2023.

Local singer Rosalía stars

Barcelona players and match-goers were not the only winners on the night. It was also a successful evening for singer Rosalía, with the Barcelona jersey sponsor shifting from Spotify to the emblem for her latest album Motomami, which displayed pitchside, too.

Partnering with the music service has allowed Barcelona to exploit commercial opportunities like this, as it did when promoting the hit artist Drake’s label OVO on its kit during the corresponding fixture against Real earlier in the season. And there will surely be more such moves before Spotify’s contract with the club ends in 2026.

With Rosalía from Sant Cugat del Vallès in the Barcelona region, Barcelona took a step closer to home this time. And the collaboration has raised money, too. 22 Rosalia-sponsored shirts—one for each men’s and women’s player—sold ahead of the derby win, raking just under €44,000 ($47,000) in total, proving the side’s finances, whether crippling debt or creative initiatives like these, come in all shapes and sizes.

Barcelona’s staggering defense

Thanks to a late Kessie strike to grab the points, the Blaugrana has 100 competitive clásico victories on the field. That means both rivals are into three figures, with Real just one ahead on 101.

Despite conceding to Real early on, Barcelona’s defensive game came good again. Ronald Araújo’s own goal against Los Blancos means Xavi’s men are still yet to concede a goal from open play at home in La Liga.

The only other blot on the record was a converted penalty from Espanyol forward Joselu to end 2022—incredible considering there are just six more league games at the soon-to-be-developed Camp Nou before the side temporarily moves to the Olympic stadium.

The derby triumph also leaves Barcelona with only a nine-goal reverse across all league games this campaign, a total it can still count on two hands. No other team in Europe’s top leagues can do the same, nor can many squads do what Xavi’s charges did—that is, send Real to a crushing loss.