It might have been Barcelona who got out to a quick start, but it’s not how you start, it is how you finish and Real Madrid proved that once again. Oh and some dude named Cristiano Ronaldo scored and a Brazilian named Neymar along with Benzema and and Sergio Ramos as Los Blancos defeated their fiercest of rivals, Barcelona by a score of 3-1. Ancelotti had Real Madrid firing on all cylinders as they looked like a well-oiled machine, doing what they do best and countering the opposition until they crumble.
Luis Suarez made an instant impact in tonight’s El Clasico as he found his new teammate, Neymar, and the Brazilian slid the ball in past Iker Casillas to give the visitors from Catalan a 0-1 lead in just the second minute of the match. It was the start that Luis Enrique could have only dreamed of the night before in his sleep. There are stars aplenty on both sides and for Real Madrid, their new boy James Rodriguez found veteran French striker Karim Benzema with a beautiful ball, but the striker’s header missed wide of the target.
The brilliant left-back Marcelo was the main man behind the second goal although Cristiano Ronaldo will get all the credit as he converted from the spot to level the match at one just after the half-hour mark. The Brazilian international bombed forward into the eighteen yard box and as he looked to pull it back for a teammate, Gerard Pique slid along the grass as the ball hit his trailing arm to give Madrid the penalty. From that point forward, it was all Madrid, that goal allowed them to play their style of football, attacking the opposition with physicality, precision and pace and it paid off for the whites.
Ramos rose beautifully above all of the Barcelona men off of a corner kick and headed it past Claudio Bravo to give Real Madrid their first lead of the evening just five minutes after the restart as the Santiago Bernabeau exploded into complete jubilation.
Real Madrid scored one of the best worked team goals you’ll see all season long in La Liga, which was started by a Barcelona turnover before Madrid rocketed up the pitch.. Isco as he never gave up on a ball that looked like it was going out of bounds. The Spaniard found Rodriguez and laid it off to Benzema who slid it underneath a diving Bravo and pinged it off the post to give them a 3-1 lead. Toni Kroos lead the ball off to Benzema had a clear strike at goal from the top of the box but he blazed his effort well over as it found its way into the Bernabeau crowd.
Iniesta had to be subbed off as he pulled up with an injury and was promptly replaced by young Sergi Roberto as the Barcelona manager has been putting a heavy emphasis on getting some La Masia products first team playing time, going back to their roots and building for the future. Messi tried to bring his side just a little closer in the 70th minute, but his effort was tame, as he had been all match, and rolled left of Casillas’ goal. Real Madrid had another blistering counterattack with ten minutes to go, this time lead by Benzema and found Ronaldo on the right. The Portuguese superstar’s final pass was cut out excellently by Roberto’s tracking back.
As the ref blew the final whistle, Madrid came out deserved winners as they controlled the majority of the match and shut down Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Neymar with Luis Enrique having no answer in his first Clasico match at the helm of Barcelona.