As soon as the final whistle blew in and ’s electric 3-3 draw, two men in suits greeted each other calmly and cordially on the sidelines, no worse the wear for having just masterminded one of the craziest games in the . Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola, who seem to never stop thinking and rethinking in search of an advantage, have taken this glittering modern European rivalry to another dimension in the process. Their sides have now scored 23 goals in their past five meetings.
An hour and a half before kick-off, Real Madrid’s bus appeared, descending from Concha Espina towards the Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones. Escorted by police officers on horseback, it made its way through a sea of supporters on either side. Scarves in the wind, flares held aloft, they chanted at great volume. It was delirium. Inside the stadium, fans began to play their role much earlier than usual, singing during the warm-up.