Barcelona beats Real Madrid 2-1 in El Clasico (video)
The spectacle that is El Clasico delivered in the way of world-class skill and high drama, but only one club had something to show for enduring 90 minutes with its most bitter rival.
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Barcelona grabbed the lead on Luis Suarez's 56th-minute strike and didn't let go as the Calatans held on for a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Camp Nou on Sunday. The win avenged a 3-1 loss to Real at the Santiago Bernabeu in October but more importantly extended the Catalans' La Liga lead to four points over Madrid.
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In all, eleven yellow cards were handed out by referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, who tried to keep the players' emotions in check by issuing caution after caution. Amazingly, no one got sent off in this chippy affair.
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Five yellows were given out in the first half as the Spanish giants played an intense first 45 minutes. The hosts broke through first after Pepe fouled Luis Suarez just outside the penalty area. Lionel Messi took the free kick, swinging in a ball from the left that found Jeremy Matheiu. The center back's cracking header past a helpless Iker Casillas made it 1-0 Barcelona in the 19th minute.
That delighted a Camp Nou crowd that proceeded to boo Cristiano Ronaldo every time he touched the ball. CR7 silenced the jeers in the 31st minute when he was played into space in the box by a nifty backheel by Karim Benzema. Ronaldo's right-footed finish past goalkeeper Claudio Bravo made it 1-1.
As the yellow cards continued to pile up in the second half, Barcelona managed to score a go-ahead goal. Dani Alves launched a beautiful long ball from the half line ahead to Suarez, who controlled it with a soft first touch. The Uruguayan's right-footed strike split two Real Madrid defenders and rolled just inside the far post for a 2-1 cushion.
beIN Sports said on its broadcast that Sunday's match drew an estimated global viewership of one billion. That seems excessive, but one Barcelona fan with over six million followers on Twitter let them know that he was happy with the 2-1 result.
Gran partido! @FCBarcelona @realmadriden #ElClasico
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 22, 2015
Joe Lago is the deputy editor and soccer editor of Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @joelago.
