Lionel Messi had a black eye, a bloody mouth and his Barcelona shirt in his hands. The board had gone up signalling two minutes left in the clásico: not enough for anyone – this was the game that should have gone on for ever – but just enough for another twist, even later and more dramatic than the first. It was 2-2, James Rodríguez putting Real Madrid within touching distance of the title five minutes from time, and Barcelona had a throw-in down in the south-east corner of the Bernabéu. The clock had read 91.27 – 33 seconds and 100 metres to go; 26 seconds later, Messi stood in the north-west corner celebrating the goal that changed everything. Behind him, Dani Carvajal beat the ground with his fists, wondering how the hell it had happened. Here’s how.
A wild, wonderful game had gone from 1-0 to 1-1 and from there to 1-2 but James, on as a sub, had equalised in the 86th minute – enough to re-establish Madrid’s lead at the top but not enough for their players, who saw an opportunity, even with 10 men. Barcelona, apparently crushed by the inevitability of it all, were there to be finished off. “We dropped terribly after the 2-2,” Luis Enrique admitted. Zinedine Zidane said: “We could have done things differently but we were optimistic and thought we could score the third.” So James had another go, and Marcelo and Marco Asensio. And when a long ball drifted out Madrid were drawn in, applying pressure and seeking one last chance. Which was when Barcelona slipped from them, playing their way into the title race via the longest route. A counter, most called it, but it wasn’t.
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