Record books show 1-1 could be enough

Barça has qualified for the next round on six of the eight occasions when the Club has drawn 1-1 away from home in the first leg of a Spanish Cup tie.

But the only time this has happened against Real Madrid, Barça was beaten 1-2 in the Camp Nou and knocked out of the competition.

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  Callejón and Jordi Alba / FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB

1-1 is a good score line for Barça, though the draw has left a bittersweet taste in the mouth. The team could have come back from the Bernabéu with a win and inclined the tie even more in Barça’s favour. Nevertheless, an away 1-1 draw is usually a guarantee of success in the second leg: Barça has qualified for the next round on six of the eight occasions when the Club has drawn 1-1 away from home in the first leg of a Spanish Cup tie.
A year ago
We only have to look back to last year to find the first example. In the semifinals, Barça drew 1-1 away to Valencia and went on to clinch the tie with a 2-0 win in the Camp Nou. In the 2007/08 season, a goalless draw in the second leg away to Sevilla was enough to see Barça through to the quarterfinals.
Defeat in the only precedent against Real Madrid
However, there’s no room for complacency. A 1-1 draw in the 1992/93 season – a semi-final first leg in the Bernabéu – was followed by a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid in the Camp Nou. The same happened against Celta in the 1977/78 season. These are the only two occasions when Barça hasn’t gone through to the next round of the Cup after drawing 1-1 in the first leg.
50:50 for Real Madrid
Strangely enough, Real Madrid has also draw 1-1 eight times at home in a Cup tie first leg. The final outcome of these ties is split evenly 50:50 – four times eliminated and four times successfully through. On the last three occasions Real Madrid has been eliminated from the Cup after drawing 1-1 at home in the first leg.
Slightly better record for Barça
Putting aside the Cup for one moment, recent contests in all competitions against Real Madrid in the Camp Nou show that neither side can be considered a clear favourite, though Barça has a slightly better record. Since the 2008/09 season, a repeat of any one of five score lines would see Barça through to the Final (2-0 in 2008/09, 1-0 in 09/10, 5-0 in 10/11, all in league matches, and 3-2 in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 Super Cups), two would favour Real Madrid (1-2 in the league in 11/12 and 2-2 in the Cup in 11/12) while one result would take the tie to extra time (1-1 in the Champions League 2010/11).

Alves: “We deserved to win at the Bernabéu”

Dani Alves admitted that he and his teammates "are unhappy with the result" from last night's match but he notes that the tie will be resolved at the Camp Nou: "it's a marvelous opportunity for us"

"We're fighting against racism but the racial abuse still happens. For me it's a lost war," says the Brazilian

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  Dani Alves / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB

“I know that we’re fighting against racism, but for me it’s a lost war"

Dani Alves is a footballer that isn’t afraid to say what he thinks. The Brazilian admitted this Thursday that the team “left the Bernabéu unhappy because of the circumstances of the game.” He added, “we didn’t take advantage of the chances we had and now the tie will be decided at the Camp Nou. It’s a marvelous opportunity for us. We deserved to win and return from Madrid with a better result.”

Alves isn’t surprised that Madrid are celebrating the draw more than FC Barcelona: “Barça are the team to beat. Everyone wants to play he game of their life against us. The only thing I’m concerned with is playing a good return leg and qualify for the final.”

Pushing the limits of fair play

Alves explained that since he arrived at Barça that “Real Madrid have always tried to play beyond the rules of the game.” He added, “we play football. I don’t think we can do anything in this regard.” Turning his focus specifically to yesterday’s match against Madrid, he said, “I still don’t understand how Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t booked. If that play had been reversed I would have been given a red card. But, of course, it seems as though we can’t have a Clásico without Cristiano.”

In any event, Alves said that he’s “vaccinated” against that type of football and that “whatever happens on the pitch stays on the pitch, beyond dirty play or any attempt to provoke.”

Upset with racial abuse

Without specifically mentioning Wednesday’s match, the FC Barcelona defender confessed that he’s upset with the racial abuse he was subjected to: “I know that we’re fighting against this type of behaviour, but for me it’s a lost war. I’ve been playing in Spain for 10 years and it’s been going on since the first day.

“Drastic measures need to be taken. For example, clubs should be drastically penalized - something beyond [the current] 1,000 or 2,000 euro fine. We need to go further. In England this doesn’t happen and when it does, the penalty is exemplary,” explained Alves.

Confident in himself

Finally, the Brazilian said he never lost his self confidence: “all of the injuries that I’ve never had in my career hit me at the start of the season. I’ve always tried to be good enough to play for this team and I think I’m managing to do that well. I’m not too concerned with what people think of me. I’m doing what I enjoy and those that are close to me know how much this profession means to me.”