 Cover ofMarca newspaper describing "an extraordinary match of Real Madrid" | |||||||
| Event | 1943 Copa del Generalísimo | ||||||
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| Date | 13 June 1943 | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Chamartín,Madrid | ||||||
| Referee | Celestino Rodríguez (Spain) | ||||||
| Attendance | 15,000 | ||||||
Real Madrid 11 – 1Barcelona was anassociation football match played on 13 June 1943 in the second leg of theCopa del Generalísimo semi-finals, the Spanish Cup having been renamed in honor of GeneralFrancisco Franco.[note 1][1]
In the first leg atLes Corts, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0, in an intense match. During the next few days, the Madrid press exaggerated the attitude of Barcelona's fans, and clamored for an exceptional answer from Real Madrid supporters. The hostility of Madrid fans (and some decisions of thereferee) at the start of the second leg (some players of Barcelona said they "feared for their lives") helped Real Madrid to an 8–0 lead at half time and 11–1 at the end of the match, thus advancing to thefinal 11–4 on aggregate, which they lost toAthletic Bilbao.[2] Barcelona's president was dismissed, and some months later Real Madrid's president,Santiago Bernabéu, offered his excuses.[2]
The 1943 Copa semi-final is often listed as one of the most controversial games in the history ofSpanish football. Due to the high scoreline and the circumstances surrounding the match, it has often been considered one of the most controversial in early 20th-century Spanish football. Some historians ascribe the match a lasting impact on bothMadrid andCatalonia's football history, contributing to the birth of the well-knownfootball rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona.[1][3][4]Fernando Argila, Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper from the game, said, "There was no rivalry. Not, at least, until that game."[3]
Barcelona were the defending champions since they had won theprevious season after beatingAthletic Bilbao in thefinal. On route to the semi-finals, Barça had defeated the likes ofRC Celta de Vigo andSD Ceuta.[2] On the other hand, Madrid was appearing in the semi-finals for the first time since1940, and on route to the semi-finals, they had beatenEspañol andXerez CD, needing a tie-breaker/play-off to beat the former (2–0).[2]
The first leg, played at theLes Corts in Catalonia, had ended with Barcelona winning 3–0. Madrid complained about all the three goals that referee Fombona Fernández had allowed for Barcelona,[3] with the home supporters also whistling Madrid throughout, whom they accused of employing roughhouse tactics, and Fombona for allowing them to. The newspaperYa reported the whistling as a "clear intention to attack the representatives of Spain."[5] Barcelona fans were banned from traveling to Madrid. On the day of the second leg, the Barcelona team was insulted and stones were thrown at their bus as soon as they left their hotel. Barcelona's strikerMariano Gonzalvo said of the incident, "Five minutes before the game had started, our penalty area was already full of coins." BarcelonagoalkeeperLluis Miró rarely approached his line—when he did, he was armed with stones. AsFrancisco Calvet told the story, "They were shouting:Reds! Separatists!... a bottle just missed Sospedra that would have killed him if it had hit him. It was all set up."[3]
Real Madrid scored twice in the first 30 minutes, both goals byPruden. In the 31st minute,Sabino Barinaga's scored Madrid's third goal of the night, which led to a dismissal for Barcelona'sBenito García after he made what Calvet claimed was a "completely normal tackle". Madrid'sJosé Llopis Corona recalled, "At which point, they got a bit demoralized," while Ángel Mur countered, "at which point, we thought: 'go on then, score as many as you want'." And indeed, Madrid scored in minutes 31', 35', 37', 39', 43', and 44', making it 8–0 at half-time; with a further two goals being also ruled out foroffside.[6]
Both Pruden and Barinaga completed theirhat-tricks in the first half, with the latter adding a fourth to his tally in the 87th minute, to give an unprecedented 11–0 lead to Madrid, however, Barcelona scored a late consolation goal in the 89th minute thanks toMariano Martín.[6]Juan Samaranch wrote: "In that atmosphere and with a referee who wanted to avoid any complications, it was humanly impossible to play... If the azulgranas had played badly, really badly, the scoreboard would still not have reached that astronomical figure. The point is that they did not play at all."[7][8] According to football writerSid Lowe, "There have been relatively few mentions of the game [since] and it is not a result that has been particularly celebrated in Madrid. Indeed, the 11–1 occupies a far more prominent place in Barcelona's history. This was the game that first formed the identification of Madrid as the team of thedictatorship and Barcelona as its victims."[3]Fernando Argila, Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper from the game, said, "There was no rivalry. Not, at least, until that game."[3]
| Real Madrid | 11–1 | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
Pruden 5',35',87'Barinaga 30',32',41',44'Alonso 37',74'Alsúa 38'Botella 85' | Report1 Report 3 | Martín 89' |
       Real Madrid |     Barcelona
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Source:[citation needed]
Real Madrid went on to lose the final toAthletic Bilbao inextra time.[2] The Barcelona president was dismissed, and some months later, the Real Madrid president,Santiago Bernabéu, "offered his excuses".[2]
This match had a lasting impact on the football history of both Madrid and Catalonia, contributing to the birth ofEl Clásico.[1][3]
