#2 Barcelona humble Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, 2008-2009
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The race for the Spanish League title is a two-horse race. With some rare wins from Athletico Madrid and Valencia, Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated La Liga right from the start. The “El Classico”, is the most anticipated fixture of the season and it turned out to be a title decider in the 2008-09 season.
Before Barcelona’s trip to the capital, Real went 18 games unbeaten, winning 17 times. The last team to beat Los Blancos was none other than their arch rivals, FC Barcelona. Madrid desperately needed a win to close the gap over Barca while a win for Guardiola’s men would virtually seal the title.
But Barcelona showed exactly why only they deserved to win the title that season. The Catalans completely destroyed the Los Blancos on their home turf. After Gonzalo Higuain headed Real ahead, Thierry Henry curled an equaliser to level the things at Santiago Bernabeu
Defender Carlos Puyol then nodded Barca in front. Real tried to get back into the game with a Sergio Ramos goal but Lionel Messi and Henry both scored a brace to sink Real further. Gerard Pique tapped in the sixth as the game ended with a scoreline of 6-2. The victory would go down in the annals of Spanish football history as one of the most convincing and one-sided wins ever in El Clásico.
The humiliation of Real Madrid meant that the league title went to the Catalans. Barcelona completed the historic treble that season, which saw the rise of one young manager named Pep Guardiola.
