Madrid, May 3 (DPA) Barcelona's historic 6-2 win over Real Madrid has hugely impressed the Spanish media.
Websites, television channels and radio stations competed with each other in their praise for Barcelona, who are now all but assured to be Liga champions with a seven-point lead over Real with just four games left.
Jorge Valdano, former player, coach and director at Real, said on television channel La Sexta that 'rarely has a team played as effectively as have Barca tonight... It was an astonishing combination of aesthetic beauty and imposing power.'
Alfredo Relano, editor of sports daily AS, wrote: 'Football of this quality can only be played in paradise... There has been a world of difference between the two teams all season, and this was evident last night.'
Before being humiliated by brilliant Barca Saturday night, Real had won 17 of their last 19 games, though usually with more industrial efficiency than impressive style.
Relano finished by voicing the hope that Barca will beat Chelsea on Wednesday in the Champions League semi-finals.
Radio Marca said that 'such a handsome and majestic team (as Barcelona) should be in the European Cup final.'
The websites of Catalan papers Sport and Mundo Deportivo were quick to express delight at Barca's win.
Sport pointed out that Barca had never before netted six goals in Real's Estadio Bernabeu and compared the win to 1974's 5-0 thrashing of Real in Madrid by a Johan Cruyff-inspired Barca.
'This win will enter Barca folklore,' said Sport, 'in the same way that the 1974 win did.'
Sport noted that Lionel Messi and company have now scored 100 goals in 34 games and are on course to beat the Liga record of 107 goals in a season, established by Real in 1989.
Mundo Deportivo called it Real's worst home defeat in six years: 'The result would have been even worse for them, had it not been for (Real keeper) Iker Casillas.'
Mundo Deportivo reveled in the likelihood that 'practically the whole world was watching tonight... and has seen how superior Barca was.'
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