Fact check: Did Real Madrid actually once defeated Barcelona 11-1? Find out the truth here!

On the 13th of June 1943 Real beat Barcelona 11-1 at the Chamartin in the semi final of the Copa Del Generalisimo, the Copa Del Rey having been renamed in honour of General Franco…

The first leg played at Barcelona’s Del Corts stadium in Catalonia having ended 3-0 in favour of Barcelona.

Madrid complained about all the three goals that referee Fombona Fernandez had allowed for Barcelona, with the home supporters also whistling Madrid throughout whom they accused of roughhouse tactics and Fombona for allowing them to.

A campaign began in Madrid, Barcelona player Josep All recalled “the press officer at the DND and ABC newspaper wrote all sorts of scurrilous lies, really terrible things winding up the Real Madrid fans like never before” former Real Madrid goalkeeper Eduardo Teus who admitted that Real Madrid had “above all played hard” wrote in a newspaper that “the ground itself made Real Madrid concede two of the three goals, goals that were totally unfair.”

Barcelona fans were banned from traveling from Barcelona to Real Madrid. Real Madrid released a statement after the match which former Club president (1985-1995) Raymond Mendoza explained “the message got through that those fans who wanted to go to El club bar on Calle de la Victoria where Madrid’s social center was.”

There they were given a whistle. Others had whistles handed to them with their tickets “the day of the second leg the Barcelona team were insulted and stones were thrown at their bus as they as they left their hotel.”

Barcelona’s striker Mariano Gonzalvo said of the incident, “Five minutes before the game had started our, our penalty area was already full of coins.”

Barcelona keeper Lluis Muro rarely approached his line, when he did, he was armed with stones.

As Francisco Calvet told the story:
“They were shouting Reds Separatists, a bottle just missed Sospreda that would have maimed him if it hit him, it was all set up.
Real Madrid were 2-0 up in a short while.

A goal brought with it a sending off for Barcelona Benito Garcia after he made what Calvet claimed was a completely “normal tackle,” Madrid’s Jose Lopis Corona recalled.

“At which point they got a little demoralized while Mur countered “at which point we thought, go on then score as many as you want.” Real Madrid scored in minutes
31, 33, 35, 39, 43 and 44 as well as two goals ruled out for offside making it 8-0.

Basillo de la Morena has been caught by the speed of the goals. In that atmosphere with a referee that wanted to avoid any complications. It was humanly impossible to play.

If the Azulgrana had played badly, really badly, the numbers will not have reached that astronomical figure. The point is that they did not play at all.

Both clubs were fined 2500 pesetas by the Royal Spanish Football Federation and although Barcelona appealed, it made no difference.

The matter was reported in the newspaper La Prensa’s as a reminder that there was a team who knew how to play football and that they didn’t do so that afternoon. It was not exactly there fault.” The newspaper described the scoreline as “absurd as it was abnormal.”

According to football writer, Sid Lowe:
“There have been very few mentions of the game (since) and it is not a result of that is partially celebrated in Real Madrid. Indeed the 11-1 scoreline 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 dictatorship and Barcelona as its victims.”

Fernando Argila said “there was no rivalry, not at least until that game.”