Ensnared in a bitter refereeing bribery scandal, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid, 2-1, on Sunday to go 12 points clear at the top of the Spanish league table.
“It is a very important and deserved victory,” head coach Xavi told the media afterward, adding, “We dominated.”
The Catalan club has had a rotten month—one that started with its elimination from contention in the Europa League by Manchester United and then charges leveled in the Spanish courts for corruption. If it is proven guilty in the bribery scandal, the club could be retroactively stripped of several La Liga titles.
El Clásico couldn’t have started worse for Barcelona. The club fell behind in the ninth minute thanks to a cruel own goal—Vini Jr. whipped a neat shot toward the near post, only for it to deflect off Ronaldo Araujo’s head and into the far corner of his own net.
The deflection was so bizarre that even Vini comforted Araujo after the goal was given.
