SPANISH football being a two-party state, the Clasico had insincere the character of one of those televised debates in in between choosing candidates. Technically, it would not confirm who walks off with the main prize, the league title, in May, but the leader will have to flatline really bad not to do so. Barcelona duly triumphed in all the critical categories. And they won the whimsical debates too: Lionel Messi definitely outshone Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona are right afar 3 points forward of Real Madrid and can means to dump three to their rivals prior to the finish of the debate since they right afar hold a superior head-to-head record. Messi has his 39th idea of the season, the strike that gave Barca their first-half lead. His 22-year-old contemporary, Pedro, scored his 18th to secure the win 10 mins in to the second period. Xavi, his right feet a sorcery wand, set up both and competence have wild dual more from Messi but for a little pointy goalkeeping. Madrid can be grateful for small mercies, then. Unlike Arsenal, Valencia and Real Zaragoza, opposite whom Messi has scored at slightest 3 times in 90 mins in the last month, Madrid do not have to continue acclaim for an additional Messi hat-trick.
What Madrid will do is equate down the seasons superfluous weeks stranded in in between hoping Barcelona lose to Jose Mourinhos Inter Milan in the semi-final of the Champions League and so do not reach and maybe win a last at the Bernabeu, and wondering if impasse by Barça in Europe competence only means them to let trip 4 points in La Liga. A roar for Mourinho to reinstate Madrids coach, Manuel Pellegrini, will climb up from this morning.
Feted as the costliest public of footballers ever collected on the same pitch, resources meant this Clasico would not be utterly that. Kaka remains unfit, as does Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Madrid still lined up with sizeable cost tags, even on top of the one that Ronaldo carries about similar to a decorative square of jewellery. Where Madrid similar to to applaud cost, Barcelona cite to peep their Catalanism. Their choice enclosed five players innate in the territory, and by the close they were fielding eight graduates of the clubs distinguished girl system.
Related LinksWest Bromwich rebound behind in to Premier League Championship Focus: Cardiff close in on playoffs Magical Messi is a special oneFor the initial half-hour, Madrid were stout and hardy. Messi done a comparatively quiet start. Firm hurdles by Xabi Alonso on Pedro and Gago on Xavi threw down the gauntlet. Referee Mejuto Gonzalez had released 4 yellow cards within the initial thirty minutes. Messi for a handball, and Xavi for protesting about a Madrid handball. Both had their names taken.
That span afterwards put Barcelona in the lead. Messi had shrugged off a bodycheck from Sergio Ramos in the lead-up, perceived the successive free flog from Maxwell, looked up, fed the round to Xavi about thirty yards from idea and anticipated the accurate lapse throw from his colleague. Messi chested to his right to obstruct Raul Albiol. It left him with only screw Iker Casillas to overcome. He did so in a flash.
Madrids most appropriate possibility of a quick reply fell to Higuain, who thumped over a volley, a miss that would perceptibly have fortified his certainty going in to the interval. Nor would the melodramatic greeting of Ronaldo to Higuain and Marcelos disaster to widespread the round in a counter-attack. Ronaldo fell to the ground, prosaic on his back. Ronaldo had already shown edginess, particularly a sly daub at Gerard Pique, his former teammate from Manchester United. He later drew 3 plain saves from Victor Valdes, but after the first, Barça settled the outcome. Pedro, fed by Xavi, dashed afar from Alvaro Arbeloa to score with a left-foot shot. With that, Madrids hopes of recuperating the Spanish joining pretension were burnt away.
Star man: Xavi
Yellow cards: Madrid: Alonso, Albiol, Ramos, Garay Barcelona: Messi, Alves, Maxwell
Referee: M Gonzalez Attendance: 80,000
REAL MADRID: Casillas, Ramos, Albiol, Garay, Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Gago, Marcelo (Guti 58min), Van der Vaart (Raul 69min), Ronaldo, Higuain (Benzema 80min).
BARCELONA: Valdes, Pique, Milito (Marquez 81), Puyol, Maxwell (Iniesta 63min), Busquets, Xavi, Keita, Alves, Messi, Pedro.
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