Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: Score and Reaction from El Clasico 2015

Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in the first Clasico of the 2015-16 season at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to open up a six-point lead over Los Blancos in La Liga.

Luis Suarez opened the scoring after just 10 minutes, and Neymar made it 2-0 before half-time. Andres Iniesta's magnificent strike and a second from Suarez in the second half rounded out the win, and a late red card for Isco compounded Real's misery.

The visitors were dominant throughout as Los Blancos manager Rafael Benitez's attacking 4-2-3-1 formation left their back four horribly exposed, and Barcelona took full advantage with some sublime attacking play and an Iniesta masterclass.

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Lionel Messi could only make the bench after his spell on the sidelines, but Karim Benzema returned to action for the hosts and James Rodriguez played in place of Casemiro.

The tone was set for a fiery encounter from the outset when Sergio Ramos and Suarez came together in a tussle for the ball, the latter making a meal of it afterward as he theatrically clutched at his shoulder.

Suarez put the Blaugrana ahead shortly after, though, as he capitalised fully on the Spaniard's slack positioning.

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After a lengthy spell of possession for the visitors, Sergi Roberto drove forward from midfield and expertly picked out the unmarked striker with a lovely pass, and Suarez sent a low shot curling past Keylor Navas with the outside of his boot.

Football journalist Rik Sharma was full of praise for both players, as they recorded their fourth La Liga assist and 10th goal of the season, respectively:

"

Brillaint finish by Suarez. Sublime

— Rik Sharma (@riksharma_) November 21, 2015"

Barca should have doubled their lead shortly after when Iniesta found Roberto in the box, but the Spaniard opted to pass to Ivan Rakitic, who ballooned his effort well over.

The visitors continued to dominate as Real's attacking players cut isolated figures up front, while both sides produced some questionable tackles and their typical histrionics.

Cristiano Ronaldo, largely an anonymous figure, was perhaps fortunate to escape punishment when he caught Dani Alves with his elbow. The Brazilian was rightly booked for obstructing the forward with his arm, while Ronaldo's elbow was presumably deemed accidental.

Neymar gave Barca a deserved second after Iniesta slipped him through with a delightful ball, and the Brazilian made no mistake in tucking the ball under Navas for his La Liga-leading 12th goal of the season.

As Squawka Football revealed, the goal was a landmark for the forward:

Things almost went from bad to worse for Los Blancos, as it was only Marcelo's headed clearance on the line that prevented Suarez from making it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time.

Football journalists Dermot Corrigan and Sid Lowe highlighted Real's formation and team selection as the cause of their woes:

The abject first-half performance from the hosts provoked an angry reaction from the Madridistas at the break, per Corrigan and Sharma:

Real started the second period slightly better, and Rodriguez tested Claudio Bravo with a pinpoint effort from distance. But just when Los Blancos looked to be getting back into the contest, Barca all but ended it as Iniesta rifled home from the edge of the area after Neymar laid it off with a lovely backheel.

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Los Blancos were lucky not to concede a penalty and have Ramos sent off when the Spaniard—already on a yellow card—brought down Suarez in the area, though Barca were similarly fortunate not to be penalised for a Gerard Pique handball.

A rapid counter-attack from Madrid almost handed them a slim lifeline, but Bravo made an outstanding save to deny Ronaldo in a one-on-one situation.

The Blaugrana continued to push for more and brought on Messi, and he was instrumental in their fourth as he found Iniesta with a delightful ball. In turn, the Spaniard sent Suarez clear, and the Uruguayan calmly dinked it over the on-rushing Navas for his 11th goal of the league season.

Iniesta was then substituted and applauded by the home fans. Squawka Football shared his impressive stats while Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez noted the significance of the act:

With six minutes of normal time remaining, Isco saw red for a late lunge on Neymar long after the Brazilian had past him.

Barca took a huge step toward the La Liga title both on points and psychologically, while the pressure will firmly mount on Benitez after the humiliating defeat.

Eibar and Getafe await Madrid in the coming weeks. While Los Blancos should have little problem in dispatching them, it will take a significant change in style and performance over some time before the cloud around the Bernabeu dissipates. 

Post-Match Reaction

According to Ed Malyon and Jim Daly of the Mirror, Barca manager Luis Enrique was ecstatic with the result. He said:

"

This victory is glorious, especially in the way that it came about. We were the better side and the triumph is down to us. There is a long way to go but it is always important to win here. It has been an all round performance. It will go down in history as a memorable game for Barca.

"

Benitez expressed concern over the reaction of his players. Per Malyon and Daly, he said:

"When you lose in this way there is a worry as to how the players will react. We’ve paid for our mistakes. At half-time they were angry and at the end of the game there was little to say. I won’t talk about a lack of desire in my team. In the second half we’ve started really well; we just lacked a reaction."