The world's classics: from Vinicius, Cristiano and Mbappé to the Netherlands and MLS
The weekend of 24 and 25 October 2021 will be remembered for the large number of matches between top rivalry teams that took place. The result of chance, but in all of them there were fans in the stands, goals and the feeling that football is back to normal.
In Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid faced each other with fans in the stands of the Camp Nou. It was the first Clasico where fans of both teams could enjoy the big game of the Spanish league. More decaffeinated without Cristiano and without Messi. In the end, 86,000 spectators to see the spectacle of Vinicius and a wounded Barça that ends the day in ninth place, five points behind Real Madrid.
In the Premier League there was also a special match at Old Trafford between Klopp's Liverpool and Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United. What nobody expected was the 0-2 lead after 13 minutes with goals from Keita and Jota. Then came Salah's three-goal hat-trick to seal the game after 50 minutes. In the 60th minute, Pogba was sent off and Cristiano lost his temper with Jones in a divided ball. The spectacle was watched by 73,000 spectators and Liverpool's title bid was confirmed while United are already looking for a new manager as they hope this game can passport Solskjaer.
In Italy the derby was played by Inter and Juventus at the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan in front of 60,000 fans. The two teams in decline in recent seasons shared the points after goals from Dzeko for Inter and Dybala in the 89th minute for Juventus. The two teams remain far behind Napoli and Milan in the standings. Inter are third and Juventus sixth.
In France, the most eagerly awaited match of the day was between Marseille and PSG. In Spain, Cuatro broadcast the match which ended goalless at the Vélodrome in front of 65,000 spectators, although the Parisians had all their attacking potential with Messi, Neymar and Mbappé. Morocco's Hakimi was sent off in the 50th minute and forced his team to work harder than usual in defence. Up front, Messi was unable to find the net due to intense marking by the Marseille players. PSG remain top of the table and Marseille in fourth.
The Eredivise also dressed up for the match between Ajax and PSV at the Johan Cruijff Arena in front of 65,000 spectators. Ten Hag's team won 5-0 at home against a PSV team that tried to take the first place from them, but will stay second. Ajax's strikers are the names to watch in the future of European football. Dutch duo Berghuis and Klaassen, Ivorian Haller and Brazilian Antony.
In the United States, too, the derby between New York City and DC United from Washington joined the party with a derby between the two big cities. The rivalry between the two big cities on the east coast ended in a 5-0 drubbing for the New Yorkers. Andrade, Castellanos and Moralez scored twice in the first half and Callens was joined in the second half by Medina. Even so, the New Yorkers are far from the first place that New England almost owns with 21 points more than the second and DC is out of the playoffs.
