Key events
78 min: A rueful grin from Vinicius as he is penalised for smashing into Pedri.
76 min: Robert Lewandowski is imminent. Ferran coming off, having scored the second. Gavi goes off, too, a big hug with Hansi Flick, as Marc Bernal, the teenager, comes on.
74 min: Trent falls flat after being robbed of possession and a hand-off from Joao Cancelo. He’s up soon enough.
73 min: The Barcelona fans are singing “campeones”, rather than the “championes” you sometimes hear in England, which approximately translates as “mushrooms”.
71 min: Real Madrid change: Camavinga off, Thiago Pitarch, 18, on
69 min: Camavinga is forced to drop deep as Ferran presses him. Barcelona beginning to squeeze space again, having gone easy oasy before.
67 min: Gavi fouls Bellingham, which feels like a familiar plotline. Barcelona lift up their tempo as Raphinha gets involved.
66 min: Gerard Martin closes down Brahim Diaz and does that celebration of defending thing that has come into fashion and reminds of rugby union players celebrating a penalty.
65 min: Vinicius looks to have found his way through but Joan Garcia read his movement and blocks off the Brazilian. Madrid are improved.
64 min: Rashford is subbed off for Raphinha, and now Frenkiie De Jong replaces Olmo to boost the midfield.
63 min: Bellingham has the ball in the net…but he’s offside, one of four Madrid players to be so. Jude, as all game, continues to have a face like thunder.
60 min: Trent zips in a free-kick but Eric Garcia gets it clear. Not much movement from the Madrid attackers.
58 min: Gavi and Bellingham “at it” in the midfield area. Not much football being played, it’s all a bit pantomime. Both teams probably want this to be over.
56 min: Ferran forces a save from Courtois. Another Batcelona goal is the more likely scorer.
55 min: Bellingham just the latest Madrid man to require stitches, of course. He’s then booked for running on the field ahead of the referee’s instructions.
53 min: Long pass to Bellingham who goes down in the box. Is he hurt? There was a noise that sounded like a scream. He’s been caught by Eric Garcia and there’s claret. But he will be OK, even if he has a split lip.
51 min: Hello, ructions. At last. Asencio is booked for accentuating a clash with Olmo, who also gets booked. The referee deals with that rather well, and Madrid don’t seem that up for going the full gun.
50 min: Rashford appears to be on the left having swapped with Fermin but then jogs back over to the right.
48 min: Fermin Lopez is found by Rashford at the second time of asking, and his shot is deflected behind. Rashford’s corner is cleared.
47 min: Gonzalo is forced to chase his own tail as Martin and Cubarsi pass the ball around, setting up an attack that ends up with Courtois collecting.
46 min: Barcelona take their time to come back out for the second half, while three Madrid players are out, the rest coming out one by one. Not good vibes between them, one for the amateur body language experts. No evidence of a team. Eventually, Barca kick off.
Tim Steppard gets in touch: “Never thought beloved and Bayern would ever be in the same sentence. Rather than FC Hollywood Real surely are appropriately more like the Windsors.”
As it stands at half-time:
Half-time: Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid
As it stands. Barca are heading to a second successive title. Two fine goals have them on course, and though Madrid have not fallen apart – yet – it’s an awful long way back for a team struggling for coherency.
45+1 min: Joao Cancelo takes on Trent, who does his defensive job well. Madrid are yet to chuck in the towel just yet.
45 min: Pedri chants ringing out, as he takes control in midfield. Three minutes have been added on.
43 min: Trent is brought down by Dani Olmo. Madrid go on the attack, and Camavinga’s shot is blocked. A quick counter almost sends away Fermin Lopez. He’s the out-ball, with Trent being picked as a possible weakness.
42 min: Another free-kick from Rashford but this time it from a wider angle and Courtois punches it out with some ease.
40 min: Colin Livingstone gets in touch: “Well, first time Tchouameni hasn’t hit the target this week.”
Justin Kavanagh: “Just joining the game… 2-0 already? I would have thought Real Madrid would have more fight in them. They’re certainly less than a club these days.”
Camavinga gets the first booking, smashing downwards on Dani Olmo.
39 min: From the corner, Olmo slices wide. Madrid’s defence is rather less than secure.
38 min: Ooof, Rashford zips clear, afterburners on, from his own half, and forces a fine save from Courtois, after a fine ball from Eric Garcia. Great football all round.
37 min: Matt Dony gets in touch: “What a curious player Rashford is. There was a three or four month spell after the last World Cup when I genuinely think he was the best player in the world. (I say that as someone with a disdain for both Man United and England.) He hit an almighty, frustrating purple patch. But he’s had equally deep nadirs. And, let’s face it, he was monumentally badly managed at United. He’s generally flourished at Barcelona without pulling up trees, and that’s not exactly a low-profile gig. But he’s still hardly a shoo-in for this summer’s World Cup. At his best, he sort of reminds of of peak Sadio Mane. And that’s as high praise as I can imagine.”
36 min: Gonzalo and Martin clatter into each other. It’s getting tetchy out there, a few challenges coming in.
34 min: Alasdair Morrison gets in touch: “Is it just me or is Tino Livramento the spit of Pau Cubarsi? Genuine double take and Glendenning style “when did he move there?” moment.
“On a side note, always been a fan of your musical asides on the pod, not sure if you’re an electronic music fan, looking forward to the new Boards of Canada? If not, what are you listening to?”
I have heard the first song from the new one, looking forward to the whole album. I have everything they released, barring some of the early bootlegged stuff. Have lots of electronic stuff, off to see Kraftwerk and Autechre this year, not for the first time.
33 min: Tchouameni smashes wide, having been laid up by Vinicius.
32 min: Gavi, for such a small player, likes a tactical foul or two. This time, Camavinga is the recipient.
30 min: Barcelona are turning on the style, though this time Dani Olmo, a player of such movement and rare grace, is offside this time.
29 min: Charles Antaki gets in touch: “Thought for the day. If you’re going to win the league, you might as well do it playing fast, confident, entertaining football. And now, back to the London Stadium.”
28 min: Rebekah Voss gets in touch: “Mr. Brewin, my beloved FC Bayern has earned itself the moniker of “FC Hollywood” due to its tendency to start drama where there is none. Not undeserved, I must say; what went down with Nagelsmann and Tuchel was a comedy of errors that I never thought I would see again. I am seeing it now with the mighty Madrid. It makes me wonder if Real Madrid deserves the title of “FC Hollywood”more than Bayern.”
27 min: Colum Fordham gets in touch: “Rashford couldn’t have chosen a better moment to cement his place in the Barca team and convince Tuchel of his worth. What a stunning free kick from a position far more favourable to a left-footed player. That should set this El Clasico ablaze.”
26 min: Madrid have come back into it. Barcelona will always offer up chances. Their fans are already doing the olé stuff when their team starts passing the ball around.
