Real Madrid took the clasico crown as they beat Barcelona 3-1 in the first meeting of the two Spanish giants this season.
With Luis Suarez handed a starting berth for the first time, Neymar
opened the scoring for Barca inside five minutes with a wonderful
curling effort as he picked up the ball and slotted it coolly past Iker
Casillas.
Real Madrid
had to re-establish their grip on the game and they did so through right
back Marcelo driving into the penalty area on 34 minutes.
His
cross induced Gerard Pique to collapse to the ground in an attempt to
block and in doing so handling the ball. The penalty was inevitable as
was the finish from Ronaldo: a crisp, unstoppable striker into the
bottom right hand corner.
With
the scores level, finally the game calmed for a brief period. It could
hardly not, having been played at such intensity, pace and verve for the
previous 35 minutes. Even Suarez must have been desperate for the
break.
The
brief truce couldn’t survive half time. Messi played in Dani Avles,
flying forward, on 47 minutes but his cross was blocked as Suarez lurked
once more, ready for his moment.
Real
responded pouring forward, as Benzema released Ronaldo. As he shaped to
shoot a goal beckoned, but Pique, sliding in, blocked for the corner.
No
matter. Toni Kroos trotted away to take the kick and delivered
beautifully, a cross full of pace and precision that was signposted for
Pepe at the far post. The Portuguese connected as a centre half should:
heading the ball firmly, resolutely into the bottom corner.
The Bernabeu
was itself again, full of noise and confidence and twirling scarves.
Barcelona hadn’t conceded in La Liga this season; it was a record always
unlikely to survive this outing.
Not
that they would retreat. Sergio Ramos needed a crucial sliding
clearance to prevent Messi from connecting with a Neymar pull back,
which would almost certainly have led to an equaliser. Even then, Jeremy
Mathieu hit a remarkable strike from 35 yards which Casillas dived to
save spectacularly.
But
the flow of the game was with Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Barca looked to be
tiring and Iniesta as good as confirmed the fact with an
uncharacteristic lazy touch that allowed Isco to break and feed Ronaldo,
who turned and played the ball to James.
The
Colombian touched a pass on to the advancing Benzema, who finished
quite splendidly, pulling his shot across goal and past Claudio Bravo.
Barca’s
suddenly appeared terribly brittle and vulnerable, exposed frequently
at the back by the pace and width of Real. Mascherano’s fine sliding
challenge prevented Ronaldo adding to the scoring on 65 minutes.
Minutes
later Dani Alves needed to do the same to stop that man again, leaving
the world player of the year in a complaining, crumpled heap. Suarez
departed on 68 minutes: he had run his course, done his best but
ultimately, it looked to be in vain.
