Xavi wins his first Clásico on the bench at the Camp Nou in style

March 20, 2023

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Xavi Hernandez lived his first Clásico Barça-Real Madrid from the bench of Camp Nou and could not enjoy a more tremendous ending. In a few minutes he saw himself from losing it to winning it, with that goal in extremis by Franck Kessie that shoots his team as leader of the League with a 12-point advantage over the white team.

The Barça coach, who as a footballer came to play 42 Clásicos in total with a balance of 17 wins, 12 draws and 13 losses, has accumulated six direct confrontations against the eternal rival Merengue in his 16 months as Culé coach, although until the one played this Sunday, March 19, none of them had been hosted by the Camp Nou stadium.

At the moment, Xavi has a positive balance in the direct fight against Real Madrid from the Barcelona bench. His service sheet included three victories until Sunday night (0-4 at the Bernabéu in the 2021-22 League, 1-3 in the final of the 2023 Super Cup in Saudi Arabia and 0-1 in the first leg of the current semifinal of Copa del Rey 2022-23) and two defeats (2-3 in the semifinal of the 2022 Super Cup and 3-1 in the first round of the current League, 2022-23).

The list of Barça coaches who won their first Clásico against Real Madrid playing at home includes very illustrious names in the history of the Barça club. Pepe Samitier, in the 1930-31 season it opened with a 3-1. Four years later Franz Platko the first 5-0 victory over the meringues was scored thanks to a poker by Ventolrà and a goal by Escolà in Les Corts. Several years after the Civil War, in the 1947-48 season, Enrique Fernandez won 4-2 in their first home Classic. Fernando Daucick celebrated a spectacular 7-2 in the 1950-51 campaign, with Nicolau (2), Marcos Aurelio (2), César, Gonzalvo III and Basora as scorers. He followed him in that succession of triumphant rookies in the Classic in Barcelona Helenio Herrerawho in the 1958-59 season celebrated a 4-0 victory, already at the brand new Camp Nou, with three goals from Evaristo and one from Tejada. Laszi Kubala He had a happy debut on the bench in 1961-62, with a 3-1 win over Madrid thanks to the aim of Evaristo, who scored a brace, and Kocsis. Roque Olsenin 1965-66, won 2-1, while rinus michelsIn 1971-72, they won 1-0 with a goal from Asensi. Hennes Weisweiler He also left satisfied with his first Clásico at the Camp Nou, a 2-1 win in the 1975-76 season in which Neeskens and Rexach scored. Lucien Muller He also went home happy in the 1978-79 campaign, with the 2-0 that bore the name of Krankl and Asensi. udo lattek debuted with a 3-1 win in the 1981-82 League (Quini 2 and Alexanco), Cesar Luis Menotti with a 2-1 (Maradona and Periko Alonso) in the 1982-83 League, Terry Venables with a 3-2 (Gerardo, Migueli and Esteban) in the 1984-85 League, Luis Aragones with a 2-0 (Carrasco and Lineker) in 1987-88 and Johan Cruyff they scored a 2-1 victory (two goals from Bakero) in the second leg of the 1988 Super Cup, although the title was white.

Since then, 3-2 of Sir Bobby Robson in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 1996-97 Cup (Ronaldo, Hierro pp and Giovanni), 3-0 from louis van gaal in 1997-88 (Anderson, Figo and Giovanni), 2-0 Llorenc Serra Ferrer in the first return of Figo (Luis Enrique and Simao), 2-0 from Pep Guardiola with the 2-0 in 2008-09 (Eto’o and Messi), 3-2 of Tito vilanova in the first leg of the 2012 Super Cup (Pedro, Messi and Xavi), 2-1 Tata Martino in 2013-14 (Neymar and Alexis) and 2-1 in Luis Enrique in 2014-15 (Mathieu and Suárez).

In recent history, only ‘Charly’ Rexach, Frank Rijkaard, Ernesto Valverde and Ronald Koeman did not beat Madrid in their first Clásico at the Camp Nou.