Míchel gives Real Madrid helping hand as Malaga beat Barcelona
Míchel gave a helping hand to Madrid. His Málaga did one of those favours that isn't easily forgotten, because after the draw with Atlético, Barça had the chance to go top. The two dropped points in the Bernabéu were absurdly misleading as Madrid had controlled well three quarters of the match but at the end Atleti were revived by their sudden sloppiness. And both Atlético and Simeone didn't lose face. El Cholo made the changes he had to (what he didn't dare do in Milan) and turned the dynamics of the game. The tied the game and there was a feeling that with another five minutes they could have won it. LaLiga was looking difficult for Madrid.
Good day, turns sour for Barça and Neymar
But we never know what football will bring. Barça, had all the makings of a happy time in Málaga (Piqué and Rakitic cleared their card suspensions) but it ended in disappointment. Málaga played well, as they had to. For Barça, it was once again the story that the back-up players failed. In this regard, Luis Enrique hasn't been able to achieve what Zidane has: a successful supporting cast. And this time, the front three were not able to save them. None of the trio were at their level, and more than this Neymar ridiculously ensured that his team went down to 10 before being able to mount a comeback.
Málaga was where the big result was
The result of all this is that the Bernabéu draw didn't end up particularly helping Atlético, as it allowed Sevilla to move closer, and it wasn't that bad for Madrid, as they gained a further point on Barça. For Zidane, it was rather gloomy afternoon, with plenty agitation on social media. Now he'll be relieved. Míchel may have broken Barça, with the team leaving the field with faces of those having lost the league. For Málaga, it was the culmination of a great week, after the Unicaja victory over Valencia in the basketball. For Barça, the end of an impressive streak, with the wind taken out of the sails that were filled by the PSG comeback. As much as there was interest in the Madrid derby, the nitty-gritty result was that in Málaga.
