El Clasico - Real Madrid vs Barcelona match report: Barca humiliate rivals as Bernabeu jeers Rafa Benitez's side
Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 4
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Your support makes all the difference.Real Madrid were jeered off at half time and then at full-time as Rafa Benitez’s first meeting with Barcelona ended in a 4-0 humiliation. Luis Suarez scored twice in the most convincing result in this fixture since Jose Mourinho was beaten 5-0 in his first El Clasico.
The pre-match script was that Lionel Messi would come on and save the day for Barcelona. Instead Suarez, Neymar and Andres Iniesta ripped up the script, scoring the goals that won the game before Messi had even made his way on to the pitch as a 57th minute substitute.
Barcelona took the lead on 11 minutes. One magical touch from Suarez was all it took, that and a surging run from Sergi Roberto. The young midfielder had played like a veteran of a 100 El Clasicos in the first one he was starting at the Bernabeu. He left Modric behind and powered towards the heart of the Real defence.
Sergio Ramos’ heart ruled his head as he hurtled out to meet the midfielder, criminally leaving Suarez all alone. Roberto slipped the ball to the Uruguayan and Suarez buried the ball in the far corner with one touch of the outside of his right boot.
With the energy of Roberto and the guile of the majestic Iniesta, Barcelona were in control but there was a moment’s uncertainty when Modric’s cross was missed by Jérémy Mathieu who had come on for the injured Mascherano but Karim Benzema missed the far-post chance. Claudio Bravo then dropped a deep Gareth Bale cross but it was a mere blip in Barça’s first half.
Six minutes before half time Toni Kroos and Modric, who had both been completely over-run in the first half, were again second to the ball in midfield and Iniesta was able to step away into space and pick out Neymar. The Brazilian had timed his run perfectly to squeeze a shot inside Keylor Navas’s far post.
It meant that when the Real players went off at half-time they did so to a crescendo of whistles. The white pieces of paper used to make a pre-match mosaic were waved in disgust and half the stadium sang for the president to resign. The players were even jeered back on to the pitch for the restart. All this and Messi was still to join the fray.
By the time the Argentinian came on just short of the hour it was 3-0. Ivan Rakitic played the ball forward to Neymar on the edge of the area and when he flicked it into the path of Iniesta, the captain caught the ball perfectly first time to send a shot into the top corner.
Benitez’s response was to take off James Rodriguez for Isco, who’s only contribution was to see red for a nasty tackle on Neymar. That decision was also jeered; the Colombian had been Real’s best attacker, testing Claudio Bravo at the start of the second half.
Barça made a change too and it was the one the tired Madrid defenders least wanted to see as Messi took to the field. Ronaldo missed Madrid’s best second-half chance when Bravo saved after being played in by Bale.
Suarez scored the fourth, delicately dinking the ball over Navas for his 15th goal of the season. The visitors were so comfortable that Iniesta was granted an early finish. The skipperhaving led his side to the most convincing of victories, while taking them six points clear of their hosts at the top of La Liga.
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