Headlines across Spain ridiculed FC Barcelona’s players for lying down and letting Spanish champion Real Madrid walk all over them at the Santiago Bernabeu Wednesday night. The day after the 4-1 thrashing, Sport, a Barcelona-area daily, led with a black front cover that read: “You have dishonored the Barcelona shirt”. El Mundo Deportivo, another Barcelona daily, led with the headline: “Shameful.”
With Real having secured the La Liga title on Sunday, there was nothing but pride at stake in the latest “clasico,” but Barcelona surrendered its pride early, falling 2-0 behind after just 20 minutes thanks to goals from Raul and Arjen Robben. The Catalans didn’t put up much of a fight after that; Gonzalo Higuain produced a brilliant finish after 63 minutes and Ruud Van Nistelrooy put a stamp on the match with a penalty in the 78th. Thierry Henry added a consolation goal with three minutes to go.
Meanwhile, Barcelona president Joan Laporta confirmed that Barca coach Frank Rijkaard would leave the club at the end of the season. Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola, who has just one year of coaching experience, will replace Rijkaard. This has easily been the worst season of Rijkaard’s Barca career; it can now do no better than third, having fallen 17 points behind Madrid and seven behind second-place Villarreal.