Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: Score, Grades and Reaction from La Liga Match

Barcelona took a huge step toward another La Liga title with a 2-1 win over Real Madrid on Sunday, as the Nou Camp played host to a dramatic Clasico that was often as frustrating as it was enthralling.

In a game that threatened to be marred by niggling fouls and the theatrical reactions to them, goals from Jeremy Mathieu and Luis Suarez either side of Cristiano Ronaldo’s equaliser ensured Barcelona claimed victory. In the process, they opened up a four-point lead at the top of La Liga.

The title race remains far from over—there are plenty of games remaining, and Real were four points ahead themselves only a few weeks ago—but Luis Enrique’s side are now firmly in the driving seat, even if Real perhaps only had themselves to blame for defeat in a game where they had plenty of chances.

Carlo Ancelotti cut a frustrated figure as the final whistle blew. The Italian’s job now will likely be under even more scrutiny after Los Blancos failed to capitalise on the momentum they had following Ronaldo’s first-half strike.

"

Suarez scores in #ElClasico (Vine by @ShivDes) https://t.co/K9Duwe9ViV

— Bets and Vines (@BetsVines) March 22, 2015"

Instead, Suarez notched on the counter-attack just before the hour mark, and Barcelona held on comfortably for a win that was well-received inside a packed stadium—even if the football on display was only occasionally of the standard most would have hoped for. Javier Mascherano said afterward, per AS:

"

Teams like Madrid push you to the limit, both physically and mentally. We made a great effort, especially as we played in midweek. We came out on top and we're very happy. ... We started well. We controlled the game and scored, and that's when they began to push forward. We gave them too much space and lost the ball too often. In the second half we reorganised ourselves. We scored and started playing our own game.

"

On the title race, he added: "There's a long way to go [in the league] and we have the Champions League too. We'd be wrong to ease off. We've given ourselves a good chance and we just have to keep going."

David Ramos/Getty Images

There was no real surprise about either lineup, with Carlo Ancelotti opting for Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Isco in his midfield. Barcelona’s only real selection dilemma surrounded Sergio Busquets, but the midfielder was deemed not fit enough to start. Meaning, Mascherano slotted into his holding role and Mathieu came in at centre-back.

From the start, there was a lively atmosphere inside the Nou Camp, with Ronaldo—destined to be the villain of the night—booed at every opportunity. The hosts started brightly, but it was Real who actually created the first clear-cut chance of the match: Ronaldo contriving to hit the bar after Karim Benzema’s measured cross gave him a close-range chance at the far post.

The Portuguese should perhaps have scored, and within minutes his miss would be punished as Barcelona took the lead.

It came from an exceedingly unlikely source, although Mathieu has form against Real—he scored against them in both league games as a Valencia player last season. This time he was in the right position in the box to meet Messi’s inswinging free-kick, giving Iker Casillas no chance as the ball nestled in the back of the net.

Prior to that goal, and indeed for a brief period afterward, the game was broken up by some unsightly incidents and unseemly reactions, as players from both teams attempted to lure the referee into using his cards. Pepe and Luis Suarez would both be booked for chippy fouls before Ronaldo also went into the book after diving on the edge of the box.

Yet around these incidents, which disrupted the flow of things considerably, Real seemed to be growing into the contest and taking control of matters. Modric, in particular, dictated the distribution of the ball around the pitch.

Soon enough Real would get on terms, although only after Barca had wasted a gilt-edged chance to double their advantage. There looked to be no way that Neymar could miss the back of the net when Suarez’s cross hopped to him, unmarked, at the back post—but his mishit shot looped into the hands of Casillas, and the goalkeeper immediately sprung the counter-attack.

Kroos and Modric exchanged passes before the Croatian slid the ball to Benzema inside the box, and the Frenchman showed all his awareness to back-heel a measured pass toward the penalty spot. Ronaldo, arriving late, was first to reach the inviting ball, slipping a first-time shot under Claudio Bravo to restore parity—and riling the crowd further as he gestured to them to be silent as he and his team-mates celebrated.

"

Vine: Ronaldo goal https://t.co/GtfAmGbXJK

— Real Madrid Info (@RmadridInfo) March 22, 2015"

The final 15 minutes of the half were controlled by Real, who would have taken the lead but for a borderline refereeing decision. Gareth Bale looked to be onside when he ran behind the dawdling Ivan Rakitic to prod home Ronaldo’s flick-on, although replays suggested the Portuguese might have been offside when Benzema crossed into the box.

Bale had the chance to make up for that disappointment shortly afterward, but his shot swerved wide of the far post. Perhaps the break came as a relief to the home side, who were struggling for fluency as both Neymar and Messi laboured to make a consistent impact on the game.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Nevertheless, it was Bravo who was forced to make the first save of the second half, as another sweeping Real counter-attack ended with Benzema testing the Chilean with a smart strike.

Real continued to edge proceedings, yet 10 minutes into the second half they were punished once again for failing to deal with a direct ball toward the box. Pepe and Sergio Ramos got out of sync, and Suarez exploited the positional mistake ruthlessly, sprinting into the space as Dani Alves played a ball over the top.

The Uruguayan still had plenty to do, but his first touch was perfect, allowing him to slip his shot across Casillas and inside the far post as both central defenders failed to catch up with the No. 9.

Amid the brief moments of excitement, the game continued to be a testy affair. Mascherano was booked for a lunge on Ronaldo, although he thought the Portuguese deserved his second yellow of the night for some retaliation. Just after the hour mark, Iniesta picked up the game’s 10th booking—the Spaniard deserving it after clattering Ramos (with an elbow) and then Dani Carvajal (with a high foot) in quick succession.

In the final third of the match, however, the game started to open up, and the fouls were slowly replaced by moments of attacking threat.

Barcelona had a couple of them—first, Messi fired just wide after a trademark run-and-shot; then, Neymar failed to hit the target after Messi put the ball on a plate for him—but Real remained dangerous. Bravo made one particularly impressive save after Benzema’s deflected potshot threatened to creep into the far corner.

As the game entered the final 10 minutes, the changes came thick and fast from both sides. Busquets, Xavi and Rafinha all came on for the hosts, while Ancelotti turned to Jese Rodriguez. (He had earlier replaced the booked Pepe with Raphael Varane.)

One set of changes was designed to open the game up, the other to lock it down; and it was Barcelona’s that ultimately had a greater impact. If anything, the home side looked the most likely to score again as time ran out, with Jordi Alba and then Messi only denied clinching goals due to some heroics from Casillas.

Real looked more and more open at the back as they pursued an equaliser at the other end, but Bravo was never the goalkeeper under sustained pressure as Barcelona saw the contest out with relative ease.

The table now makes happy reading for all Cules, although there is still a long way to go in the title race. This was Barcelona's night, however, and Real Madrid will now have to respond quickly and emphatically if they are to have any hope of preventing it being Barcelona's season as well.

Sergio Ramos said, per AS:

"

We regret that we couldn’t put our chances away when we had them.The gap is four points, we have time to recover. We’ll keep fighting and we won’t give up. ... We’ve been in worse situations and we’ve also lost leagues after being seven points ahead. In my experience you can’t let your head drop. You’ve just got to keep calm and keep working.

"

David Ramos/Getty Images

Player Ratings

Player	Rating
Claudio Bravo	7
Dani Alves	6
Gerard Pique	8
Jeremy Mathieu	7
Jordi Alba	7
Javier Mascherano	7
Ivan Rakitic	6
Andres Iniesta	5
Neymar	5
Luis Suarez	7
Lionel Messi	7
Substitutions
Sergio Busquets	7
Xavi	7
Rafinha	6

Player	Rating
Iker Casillas	7
Dani Carvajal	7
Sergio Ramos	6
Pepe	6
Marcelo	6
Toni Kroos	6
Luka Modric	7
Isco	6
Gareth Bale	4
Cristiano Ronaldo	6
Karim Benzema	7
Substitutions
Raphael Varane	6
Jese Rodriguez	6
Lucas Silva	n/a

What's Next?

Barcelona's next game is in two weeks' time, when they travel to Celta Vigo to face Luis Enrique's former team. Real Madrid, meanwhile, host Granada earlier that same day.