Ten-man Barcelona managed to hold Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring (Photo: AFP)
Real Madrid vs Barcelona is arguably the biggest footballing rivalry and the El Clasico didn’t disappoint on Sunday as the La Liga tie ended in a enthralling 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp.
There was drama galore as the hosts ended the half with a man down while Real’s talisman was forced off with an injury at half-time.
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In the end, Barcelona’s unbeaten record remained intact, somewhat fortuitously, as Los Blancos were unable to nick a priceless away win.
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Here are the five main talking points from a breathtaking encounter in Cataliona:
Just when you thought that this might be a Clasico that would end with 22 players on the pitch, Real Madrid started to get a bit nasty with their challenges.
Gareth Bale was lucky to avoid a yellow or even a red for his raking challenge on Samuel Umtiti while Sergio Ramos had a few tasty encounters with Luis Suarez.
Lionel Messi responded with a un-Messi like foul on Ramos before Roberto lost his head by taking aim at Marcelo’s head.
Sure, the Brazilian made the most of it but wouldn’t the Barcelona man have done the same had the roles been reversed?
As it was, La Blaugrana were made to play the entire second-half with a man down and while they did the job in the end, their right-back will surely get a dressing down by his manager.
A silly error and one that very nearly cost Barcelona their unbeaten record.
Yes, Gareth Bale was lucky to remain on the pitch after his malicious challenge on Umtiti, but nobody can deny all the major decisions went the hosts’ way.
Marcelo was denied a stonewall penalty in the second-half while Jordi Alba could count his blessings for not getting sent off or even a caution after grabbing Luka Modric’s throat in the first-half.
Barcelona fans can moan all they want, but Roberto did deserve to get sent off, even if he made minimal contact.
And how poor was Luis Suarez, despite scoring a sumptuous opener?
The Uruguayan was bright with the ball but his propensity to fall to the pitch at the drop of a hat did warrant a yellow card, at least.
And while he did lay on a fine assist for Lionel Messi’s sublime strike, the No.9 clearly fouled Raphael Varane in the build up.
Not referee Hernandez Hernandez’s finest night, but one gets the inkling that the La Blaugrana faithful won’t mind.
Ronaldo’s injury has gotten Los Blancos worried, for without him, the visitors looked a bit toothless in attack.
They aren’t a one-man team, but their Portuguese talisman is head and shoulders above the rest of their forwards and after his tangle with Gerard Pique, Real will definitely be sweating over his fitness.
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The 33-year-old hardly gets injured and with Champions League qualification already confirmed, don’t be surprised if Zidane rests the No.7 for their remaining La Liga fixtures.
Their May 26 showdown in Kiev with Liverpool is less than two weeks away and the capital outfit will do everything possible to get their star man fit in time to face the Reds.
A dead rubber, your say?
Well, nobody watching the tie could have said this tie had little else than pride and a unbeaten record at stake.
Suarez’s fine strike was straight out of the top drawer and Ronaldo’s leveller was quite well-worked too.
Messi did a Messi thing by popping up with a cool-as-you-like finish while arguably Bale trumped everyone else with his sweet first-time strike from distance.
So often, these high-profile ties fail to live up to their billing but this wasn’t the case on Sunday as the near-capacity crowd at the Nou Camp was treated to a classic.
Not to mention the plethora of yellow cards, crunching tackles and over the top remonstrations employed by both sides.
Iniesta’s exit is timely for clearly his presence in the side hamstrings Phlippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian had to exit the tie at half-time and it’s difficult to blame him for he had been shunted out wide and unsurprisingly, was ineffectual from the flank.
Not that Iniesta managed to do anything of note in his final Clasico and Paulinho’s introduction actually galvanised the hosts in the second-half when he replaced the skipper.
A fantastic servant to the club, undoubtedly, but the diminutive midfielder’s clearly on his last legs and his departure comes at the right stage as the club looks towards a new era.
Still, in the end Barcelona’s unbeaten record remained intact and that’s all that matters to Iniesta and Co.
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