Real Madrid Hop Lionel Messi, Barcelona Atop La Liga After Win in El Clasico

Real Madrid have the advantage in the La Liga title race after Sunday's Clasico, beating Barcelona 2-0 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.   

Los Blancos took control after the break and finally grabbed the lead thanks to a great effort from Vinicius Jr. Barcelona had a few good looks in the first half but regressed during the second, and Mariano Diaz secured the win late.

Real take a one-point lead in the standings with the win.

The opening stage of the match provided few moments of quality, with both teams clearly nervous to get going. Mateu Lahoz's tendency to reach for his cards didn't help matters, as he booked Vinicius for the very first foul called in the match and added Dani Carvajal and Jordi Alba to the list for no good reason:

In between bookings, Toni Kroos fired Real's first look on goal over the bar, and Antoine Griezmann somehow managed to miss the target completely after a great pass from Alba.

Karim Benzema came within inches of reaching a great Federico Valverde cross, and Kroos again tried his luck with a shot, missing wildly.

The first shot on goal came from Lionel Messi but never troubled Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian had his first real test minutes later, denying Arthur in a one-on-one situation:

The former Chelsea stopper continued his heroics when Messi found space for a shot, again making himself big to keep the score level.

Apart from the two solid interventions of Courtois, the first half didn't provide much of a spark, and at half-time, another scoreless stalemate seemed likely:

"

HT Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona. The last Clasico was the first goalless one in 17 years...we're on course for another at the Bernabeu.

— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) March 1, 2020"

The cagey play continued after the break, with Barcelona seeing the bulk of possession but finding few openings. 

Real still threatened on the counter, and after a defensive mistake from the Blaugrana, Isco put Marc-Andre ter Stegen to work with a good strike from distance.

Isco had a header turned off the line by Gerard Pique minutes later, as Real suddenly took control and started to push. 

AS' Robbie Dunne thought the Catalans were really struggling:

Ter Stegen nearly gifted the hosts the lead with a dreadful pass, but Benzema couldn't turn home Carvajal's cross.

Los Blancos wanted a penalty after a clash between Vinicius and Arthur, and while replays suggested the Barcelona man stomped on his compatriot, VAR opted not to intervene. 

Martin Braithwaite made his Clasico debut after 70 minutes and immediately forced a save from Courtois, before Real finally took a deserved lead. It was Vinicius who found the breakthrough, with his shot taking a deflection off Pique and past ter Stegen.

Braithwaite completely lost his man during the build-up:

Messi tried to respond but ran into a sublime tackle from Marcelo, while Pique had a great chance to tie things up, heading wide. 

Ter Stegen saved his team in a one-on-one situation with Vinicius, but he was powerless to stop Mariano's shot. The substitute had only just replaced Benzema, earning his first minutes of the La Liga season.

What's Next?

Los Blancos visit Real Betis on Sunday. Barcelona host Real Sociedad on Saturday.