REAL MADRID 3 BARCELONA 1
Real Madrid - Ronaldo 35', Pepe 50', Benzema 61' Barcelona - Neymar 4'
Man of the match - Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Another classic clasico. So many football matches fail to justify the hype, but games between Real Madrid and Barcelona consistently deliver drama, goals and greatness.
They are played at a breathless pace, full of counter-attacks and an unrelenting desire to go forward. Little wonder the world watches enthralled.
Despite Real Madrid leading 3-1 after an hour, coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted that his team continue to push forward.
There would be no easing off, no defending a lead, no soaking up the “Oles” from the 80,000 Bernabeu crowd.
When the referee dropped his can of white spray used to mark out the defensive wall at free kicks, it took more than a minute for him to get an opportunity to pick it back up as he officiated the heavyweights going toe-to-toe.
Madrid were worthy of their win, worthy of becoming the first team to score past Barcelona in a league game this season.
Their game plan was shot to pieces when Barca took a fourth-minute lead, debutant Luis Suarez hitting a cross-field ball to Neymar.
Unlike Madrid’s defenders, with their suspect positioning, the Brazilian kept a cool head, cutting inside right-back Dani Carvajal and curling in a shot past Iker Casillas from the edge of the box.
Ancelotti will not have been happy to see Pepe keep his distance, nor his midfield.
Barcelona had not lost a clasico in 26 years when they have taken the lead, but while Madrid were behind they were still the better team. It was 20 minutes before the Catalans enjoyed a spell of possession to disrupt Madrid’s dominance.
Suarez looked what he is – a great player short of match practice. Luis Enrique gambled in starting him, banking on the element of surprise: Madrid had never faced Suarez.
He is not a defender, but his inability to defend on the right wing left his side exposed.
No player on the pitch enjoyed as much space as Madrid left-back Marcelo and the home side drew level with a penalty after Gerard Pique, making the first of several errors, handled on the ground to block a cross from the Brazilian.
Ronaldo stepped up and calmly sent Claudio Bravo the wrong way for his 19th goal in his past 11 games.
It was the first goal Barcelona had conceded in eight league games this season.
Bravo laughed. He has had a fine start to his Barcelona career but was used to conceding at the Bernabeu with his former club, Real Sociedad. In four games he saw his side beaten 5-1, 4-3, 5-1 and 4-1.
Suarez was a side story and he was unable to become the first man since Scottish striker Steve Archibald to score while making a league debut in a clasico.
The Uruguayan did cross to Messi, who produced the game’s best save from Casillas. It was a key moment for which the much-maligned goalkeeper should be credited, just as Madrid’s outfield players will be. They started the second half much stronger and went ahead in the 50th minute when Pepe headed in a Luca Modric header from a corner.
Barca’s defending was as culpable as Madrid’s for the first goal, their historic weakness at set pieces again exposed, though the deficit would have been worse had Javier Mascherano not made two key blocks.
Madrid made it 3-1 just 10 minutes later after a superb counter attack, Karim Benzema with his sixth goal in four games from a shot that went in off the post. Crucially, the Frenchman has scored in the past four home clasicos.
After nine league games, Madrid have closed the gap and sit one point behind Barcelona in second in the table, though Sevilla can squeeze between the pair if they beat Villarreal on Sunday. Not that anyone is talking about Sevilla after another epic clasico.
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