Barcelona-Real Madrid: From Zero to Hero, Eto'o Takes Honours in 'El Clasico'

After being denied from the penalty spot, Cameroonian international Samuel Eto'o went from being the lowest of the low in the Barca ranks to the highest of the high in the space of just 13 minutes.

The striker atoned for his penalty miss as he sent the majority of Camp Nou into ecstasy with seven minutes remaining. FIFA World Player of the Year contender Lionel Messi compounded the woes of Real Madrid with Barcelona's second in injury time.

In a fiery first half, typical of 'El Clasico', Real Madrid started better and had the best chance of the game when Roysten Drenthe was denied in a one-on-one with Barca keeper Victor Valdes.

In the second half, Barcelona turned their game up a notch and proved too good for Real after being rewarded with a penalty on 70 minutes, when Michel Salgado pinned down Sergio Busquets.

Eto'o stepped up to take the penalty but was denied by the excellent Iker Casillas, who surely has a claim to being the best goalkeeper in the world. Spain's No. 1 made a brilliant save, diving low to his left to keep out the shot from Eto'o.

However excellent the save, it mattered little as Eto'o redeemed himself 13 minutes later. The striker prodded home from close range after Carles Puyol headed down a Xavi Hernandez corner.

Messi then made sure of the win, chipping past Casillas after unselfish work from Thierry Henry in time added on.

Not a successful start to the rigours of La Liga for Juande Ramos, the former Tottenham and Sevilla supremo now finding his side 12 points adrift of bitter rivals and league leaders Barcelona.

And for the Barcelona supporters that make up 25 percent of Spain's entire population, there will only be two words that will have any meaning to them in the coming week. Doce puntos.