LWhen a match is already dubbed El Clasico, where to go for the superlatives? El Superbo? El Supremo? No tag seems to do it justice.
Suffice to say that, even by the mighty standards of El Clasico, this was, well, a classic. It had everything, including a winner.
Barcelona, and the wonderful Lionel Messi, triumphed to make La Liga’s title race a bit of a Clasico this season, too. His hat-trick included two penalties, both justified no matter the predictable conspiracy theories that will circulate, and a backdrop of broken records. He is now the second highest scorer in La Liga history, overtaking Hugo Sanchez, and the highest scorer in El Clasico fixtures, usurping Alfredo Di Stefano.
From the spot: Lionel Messi strokes the ball home to put clinch a 4-3 victory for Barcelona against Madrid
Club legend: Lionel Messi lifts his shirt to kiss the Barcelona badge after scoring the decisive El Clasico penalty
Matchwinner: Messi points to the Barcelona support as Gerard Pique (centre) and Alexis Sanchez catch up
Penalty: Lionel Messi scores from the spot to equalise for Barcelona against Real Madrid in El Clasico
Scoredraw: Messi celebrates Barcelona's third after twice levelling the scores during El Clasico
Seeing red: Real Madrid centre back Sergio Ramos was sent off after hauling down Neymar in the box
Flying: Sergio Ramos celebrates Madrid's third with Ronaldo (left) while the Madrid star jumps for joy (right)
Top of the pile: Pepe (centre) celebrates with the rest of his Madrid team-mates following Real's third goal
All square: Barcelona frontman Lionel Messi equalises for the Catalans minutes before the half-time whistle
Back in it: Messi acknowledges the Barcelona support following his strike as Ronaldo and Benzema look on
Match Facts
Real Madrid: Diego Lopez, Pepe, Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema (Varane, 64), Bale, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso, Carvajal, Modric (Morata, 90), Di Maria (Isco, 85).
Subs: Casillas, Coentrao, Nacho, Illarramendi.
Scorers: Benzema, 20, 24, Ronaldo, 55 (pen).
Booked: Pepe, Di Maria, Alonso, Modric, Ronaldo.
Sent off: Ramos.
Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Sergio, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas (Sanchez, 78), Messi, Neymar (Pedro, 69).
Subs: Pinto, Bartra, Adriano Song, Sergi.
Booked: Fabregas, Busquets.
Scorer: Iniesta, 7, Messi, 42, 65 (pen), 84 (pen).
Attendance: 85,454
Man-of-the-Match: Lionel Messi
A downside? Only that, like much great art, the second half of the piece could not quite live up to the opening. The first 45 minutes ended 2-2 and contained some of the finest football of the season. The match concluded 4-3 to Barcelona and the final three goals were penalties.
One was a referee’s mistake, the other resulted in the sending-off of Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, meaning Carlo Ancelotti removed striker Karim Benzema and played with less abandon.
The winner was a result of the panic set in playing Barcelona with 10 men. Even so, Barcelona nearly won fair and square, hitting a post with a shot from Dani Alves in the 75th minute.
The other winner, one supposes, is the third team in this La Liga title race, Atletico Madrid. The penalties merely added controversy where before had been purity.
This was a game without flaws - bad defending isn’t a flaw to a neutral because, without it, every match ends 0-0 - until the 54th minute, when Alves tripped Cristiano Ronaldo outside the box, the Portuguese fell inside and a penalty was erroneously awarded. Ronaldo took it, and could not have positioned his shot better.
Barcelona’s reply? Controversial for different reasons. Ramos got the wrong side of Neymar in the penalty area and gave him a little tug, no doubt about it. Yet did he deserve a straight red? Probably not, given the punishment for the infringement.
Coming together: Pepe appears to grab Cesc Fabregas by the throat following Barcelona's second
Altercation: Neymar looks on as Pepe lets his anger show by shouting into the face of Fabregas
Fallen: Fabregas and Pepe both ended up on the deck after their coming together and were booked
Opener: Barcelona's Andreas Iniesta wheels away to celebrate after firing the first goal of Sunday's El Clasico
Team effort: Iniesta is congratulated by Jordi Alba (left) and Dani Alves (centre) as Neymar and Messi embarce
Messi’s penalty was equally accurate, and his next, his final flourish, was carbon copy.
It was clumsiness that cost Real in the end, Xabi Alonso and Daniel Carvajal combining to bundle over Andres Iniesta, Messi as cool as you like, same spot, same outcome, master of his domain: putting the class in the classic, as always.
It is 27 years since an El Clasico fixture ended in a goalless draw, and the reason was soon apparent last night.
When two clubs are dedicated to producing, and buying, the most exciting attacking players in the world, as Real Madrid and Barcelona have always been, goals are unavoidable. Starting XIs regularly include the best finishers, the quickest thinkers, the finest technicians in the game.
If they get a chance, the likelihood is they will score at least one in three; and Madrid and Barcelona combined get a lot of chances.
It is no exaggeration to suggest this game could have been 6-4 to Real Madrid by half-time. There were 10 goalscoring opportunities in 45 minutes, four converted, five cheaply missed, one quite brilliantly cleared off the line. Business as usual? Not entirely. One got the feeling that, even by Clasico standards, this was a match of exceptional stature. One of the games of the season in any competition.
To prevent confusion, let’s take it in chronological order. In the fourth minute, Cristiano Ronaldo was dispossessed on the edge of the Barcelona area and the Catalan side broke, swiftly. Lionel Messi found Neymar, who surged clear but aimed a weak shot straight at Diego Lopez in the Madrid goal.
Man of the moment: Karim Benzema celebrates after equalising for Madrid following Barcelona's opener
Floored: Javier Mascherano and goalkeeper Victor Valdes are left on their knees following Benzema's strike
Head-to-head: France international Benzema outleaps Javier Mascherano in an aerial battle
Ahead: Benzema clenches his fist as Angel Di Maria and Marcelo race over to congratulate the striker
A minute later a tackle on the right ran to Benzema, who snatched at a low shot and directed it wide.
After seven minutes, the first goal. It was a stunning exhibition of passes, almost archetypal for the inventors of tiki-taka, ending with Messi slipping the ball to Iniesta on the left-side overlap. Iniesta rifled his shot into the roof of Lopez’s net.
The Bernabeu fell strangely subdued, a mood not helped six minutes later when Angel Di Maria delivered a lovely cross from the left which fell to Benzema in a must-score position close to goal. He didn’t, instead sending the ball high over the bar. Emotional locals despaired.
Then what should have been Barcelona two goals clear, Messi put through by Sergio Busquets with only Lopez to beat, but he scuffed his shot wide to the mystification of all. He usually scores those with his eyes shut.
Next,
the punishment for such profligacy. Gareth Bale making a great
crossfield run that ended with a ball out to Di Maria. He replicated the
accuracy of his previous cross, but this time to Benzema’s head. Victor
Valdes in the Barcelona goal got a hand to the ball but to no avail.
Madrid were back in the game and back on top of the league.
Up for it: Gareth Bale (centre) leaps high into the air as Real Madrid and Barcelona enter the field on Sunday
Marauding run: Di Maria attempts to get close to Lionel Messi in a bid to challenge the Argentine
Toe-to-toe: Bale stretches in a bid to retain possession as he is tackled by Barcelona goalscorer Iniesta
Grounded: Cristiano Ronaldo claims to have been fouled and appeals for a free-kick early on
It just kept getting better. Just four minutes later Marcelo fed Di Maria and his cross eluded Javier Mascherano - a taller centre-half would have got it, the traditionalists will argue - and fell to Benzema unmarked. The striker brought the ball under control with one touch and finished smartly with the next.
It could have been three in the 27th minute when Di Maria once again - this was really shaping up to be a ‘Taxi for Alves’ night - found Benzema once again, only for Gerard Pique to block his far-post shot on the line.
Barcelona were lucky still to be in touch but drew level in the 42nd minute. A pass from Messi to Neymar begged for a return and, as the Argentine sprinted diagonally across Madrid’s penalty area, he got it. The finish was as precise and that made it 2-2.
In the squabble that followed, Pepe and Cesc Fabregas squared up, pushed their heads into each other aggressively and then both sprung back as if butted. Still it wouldn’t be a Clasico without at least one piece of nonsense.
Were they done, though? Were they hell. In injury time a cross from Carvajal, the Real right back so successfully nurtured by Ancelotti, found Benzema again, although this time his header was narrowly off target.
El Clasico: Barcelona and Real Madrid line-up ahead of Sunday evening's eagerly-awaited La Liga encounter
Sea of white: Los Blancos supporters wave plastic flags at the Bernabeu on Sunday evening ahead of kick off
Made in heaven: Two Real Madrid fans show their appreciation for star man Cristiano Ronaldo
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