Gerard Pique Slams Real Madrid's El Clasico Performance; Sergio Ramos Hits Back

Gerard Pique bemoaned Barcelona's failure to capitalise on Real Madrid's first-half performance in El Clasico on Sunday after Los Blancos ran out 2-0 winners at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real won the match courtesy of second-half goals from Vinicius Jr. and Mariano Diaz, but Barca had enjoyed much better chances in the opening period.

Per MailOnline's Matt Porter, Pique said: "That was one of the worst Real Madrid displays that I've come across at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first half."

The defender felt Barcelona "controlled the game" prior to the break and rued their missed opportunities:

"If only we'd made the most of the game in the first half. I'm not saying it as a criticism [of Madrid]. Each team has their problems. We're hardly very good.

"We were able to stamp our authority. If we'd made the most of our chances in the first half, they would've had a mountain to climb."

Pique's comments were put to Real counterpart Sergio Ramos, who responded: "I would sign now to win every Clasico if it meant playing as badly in the first half as he thinks we played."

Thibaut Courtois had to make three saves in the first half, denying Lionel Messi twice either side of a strong stop to keep out Arthur. He also made an important save from Martin Braithwaite in the second half before Vinicius' opener:

Barcelona failed to maintain their level of performance after the break:

Unlike Barca, Real capitalised while they were on top in the game, giving them their first La Liga win over the Catalan giants at the Bernabeu since 2014.

One of Barcelona's biggest problems is their over-reliance on Messi. The 32-year-old is good enough to get them through most matches, but they often struggle if he's not at his best.

Sunday's match was one to forget for the Argentinian:

He has a record 26 goals and 14 assists in El Clasico, but it has been some time since he last shone in the fixture:

Messi isn't getting any younger—he will turn 33 in June—so the problem is only going to get worse until the club can give him more support on the pitch.

The defeat has handed the initiative back to Los Blancos in the title race too. Defeat to Levante and a draw with Celta Vigo in their previous two matches had seen Real slip behind Barcelona, but they are now a point ahead with 12 matches remaining.

Given the two played out a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou in the reverse fixture, Real have a superior head-to-head record this season, so their lead over Barca is effectively two points.