Cristiano Ronaldo scored two, Lionel Messi also scored two, and Real Madrid drew 2-2 with leaders Barcelona at the Nou Camp, but the most important statistic in La Liga on Monday is still the number eight.
Tito Vilanova’s Barca maintained their eight-point advantage over the champions after Sunday’s absorbing Clasico, when Jose Mourinho’s men could only achieve damage limitation as oppose to kick-starting their title come back
While Portugal’s Ronaldo and Argentina’s Messi proved again they are in a league of their own when it comes to the voting for the World Player of the Year, an imaginary award for Player of the Moment, however, would surely see them run close by Radamel Falcao.
The Colombia striker scored twice, at least he forced a second goal at the Calderon, as Atletico Madrid overcame third-placed Malaga 2-1 to join Barcelona at the top of the standings.
Falcao has netted nine in the league so far, topping the scoring charts by one ahead of Ronaldo and Messi jointly on eight.
A couple of years ago, it was common to hear it said that the world’s most expensive player Ronaldo went missing in big games. Not any more.
He fired Madrid ahead after 23 minutes on Sunday, beating Victor Valdes at his near post with a fierce shot after a clever turn and layoff from Karim Benzema, becoming the first player to score in six successive Clasicos.
Madrid had the better of the first half, making the most of Barca’s makeshift defence which had Adriano lining up as the surprise choice at centre-back alongside Javier Mascherano. Gerard Pique failed to recover from his foot injury in time.
Madrid hit the post and looked closest to adding to the scoreline when Messi equalised in the 31st, volleying in from close range after Pepe misjudged a header and inadvertently nudged the ball into his path.
Barca improved in the second half, and Messi put them ahead with a stunning freekick which curled over the wall and beyond Iker Casillas just after the hour mark.
The 25-year-old is now only one goal short of former Madrid striker Alfredo Di Stefano’s Clasico record of 18.
Catalan joy was short lived. Mesut Ozil threaded a delightful ball through for Ronaldo to beat Valdes in a one-on-one and set up a gripping finale.
Martin Montoya, who came on for an injured and out-of-sorts Dani Alves, hit the crossbar and Pedro went close as Barca pressed, and afterwards even Mourinho said he had enjoyed the spectacle.
“It’s been a great game. Everyone has enjoyed it,” he said. “We didn’t know who was going to win until the last minute. The league remains the same, the points difference the same, but I liked the way my team played a lot.”
Vilanova said: “It is an opportunity missed. I never thought a draw would be a good result. We wanted to go 11 points clear.”
FALCAO DIVING HEADER
Spanish football fans were forced to choose between watching the end of the Barca-Madrid game, and the first 20 minutes of Atletico-Malaga, due to another poor decision by the football league who had scheduled two of the weekend’s biggest games to overlap.
Loyal Atletico supporters were rewarded when Falcao scored with a diving header after only five minutes, as many others scuttled into the Calderon from bars around the ground that were showing the Clasico.
Malaga’s neat possession football ran up against Atletico’s intense harrying style in an enthralling clash between teams full of the confidence born out of unbeaten starts to the season.
Qatari-owned Malaga swept to an equaliser with a quick-flowing move that was headed home by Roque Santa Cruz before the break.
Atletico, urged on by the wildly gesticulating figure of coach Diego Simeone on the touchline, gained the upper hand in the closing stages and the pressure finally paid off.
A freekick was nodded back into the six-yard box and the arch-predator Falcao slid in with Malaga defender Weligton to score the winner in the last minute.
Atletico and Malaga at least offer hope of a challenge to the hegemony of the big two in La Liga, though Malaga boss and former Bernabeu coach Manuel Pellegrini was having none of it.
“Atletico have no chance of challenging Madrid and Barca,” the Chilean said. “Third place is their limit. They have a squad like Valencia or Sevilla. All those that were there last year will fight, but they have no chance against the top two. They are too powerful.”
For the time being, after seven games Barca are leaders on goal difference ahead of Atletico with 19 points, Malaga are third with 14, Real Betis fourth with 12 and Madrid, Mallorca and Sevilla are tied on 11 in fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.