On 24 October, the 247th National Derby kicked off at Camp Nou. In just 7 minutes, Destin missed a great one-handed opportunity, and wasting it was punishable. Real Madrid's new signing Alaba World Wave scored a goal, and he also became the first Austrian player in nearly 42 years to score in a national derby!
No Messi, no Ramos – such a national derby, not seen in the last 17 years. Barca lined up in a 433 formation, with Depay, Fati and Destin leading the attacking line, and the 17-year-old Garvey starting; Real Madrid was the trident of Rodrigo, Benzema and Venicius, and Modric was the "ceremonial midfielder".
Ancelotti and Ronald Koeman shook hands before the game, but on the pitch, the players on both sides played with a lot of gunpowder. In the 24th minute, Venicius dribbled the ball down in the penalty area and the referee did not show it. Barca full-back Alba and Vinicius argued and confronted each other, pushing and shoving each other.
In the 25th minute, Barca missed a great opportunity: Depay burst into the box with the ball and then sent a cross. Fati failed to touch the ball and Destin's one-handed shot went high over the crossbar! Barca coach Koeman can't believe what's happening in front of him, and Fati is also holding his head in regret...
Dester squandered his chances and Barca were soon punished. In the 32nd minute, Real Madrid played a lightning counterattack: Venicius sent a long diagonal pass, Rodrigo crossed obliquely, Alaba stopped the ball, dribbled, adjusted, and then started to shoot with his left foot, and the ball slid into the right corner of the goal!
Alaba, who played at centre-back, made a world-class shot: the footwork and strength were so good that Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen couldn't do anything about it. It was Alaba's first goal since joining Real Madrid, coming from the heaviest and most high-profile national derby.
At camp nou, Alaba ran with his arms outstretched, jumped high and threw his fists in excitement! The first national derby scored, and Arabba, along with Van Nistrui, Varane and Jesse, wrote into the history of Real Madrid. The data shows that Alaba became the third Austrian player to score in the history of the national derby. The last was Karakell on 23 September 1979 (playing for Barca), 42 years ago.