SPAIN’S BIG TWO meet at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona
Good evening, sports fans! It’s over to the Spanish capital this evening, where two of the best teams on the globe go face-to-face.
Earlier this evening, Atletico Madrid moved to top of the La Liga thanks to a 2-0 win away to Real Betis — with Real Madrid level on points with their city rivals and Barcelona four points further back.
Diego Simeone’s side are attempting to spoil the party this season but tonight it’s all about the El Clasico.
Kick off is 25 minutes away, so let’s have your predictions…
Poll Results:
How will the game go? Tell us in the comments section below.
Here are the teams:
Real Madrid: Lopez, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Alonso, Carvajal, Modric, Di Maria, Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale.
Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Messi, Neymar.
This is new ad from Beats by Dre (probably) captures what it’s like to be Cesc Fabregas pre-match:
Source: Beats by Dre
For several years now, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been widely-regarded as the top two players in the world. Both start tonight but here’s a look at two of the new boys — Gareth Bale and Neymar.
Will it be their night?
Source: Twitter/Sky Sports La Liga
We’ve got five talking points for you to have a quick read of if you haven’t already. Here’s the first one:
1. Under-fire Neymar must come good
For the money Barcelona spent on him, Neymar hasn’t exactly set Camp Nou alight as of yet.
The Brazilian international has just seven goals in 20 appearances so far, and has received criticism in some quarters for failing to live up to his excessive price tag.
However, at 22, Neymar has plenty of time to prove his doubters wrong, and making an impact tonight, as he did in the reverse fixture, would go some way towards achieving that.
His coach, Gerardo Martino, is one of those who has defended the star in the wake of criticism, especially of his recent Champions League displays.
“Firstly, I think he played very well against Manchester City in the second leg and, secondly, I will reaffirm what I have said many times that Neymar is one of the top five players in the world,” Martino said.
“I don’t need to see one match, half a match, nor even 10 matches to confirm the qualities that he has. I don’t think it will be long before people stop talking about him like just another player because he isn’t.”
Read the other four here.
There have been some classics over the years. Remember this 3-3 draw from 2007?
Source: Alessandro Fin
For more great meetings between Real Madrid and Barca, click here.
After a serious amount of hype and build-up, we’re about to get down to business. The teams have shaken hands and we’re all set.
The Bernabeu looks magnificent tonight!
Madrid kick off and are on the attack straight away. Both teams in their traditional home strips.
Ronaldo has a go at Dani Alves for the first time tonight and after a bit of trickery, the Portuguese star is dispossessed by Javier Mascherano. Immediately, we’re down the other end as Messi plays in Neymar but his tame strike is easily saved by Diego Lopez.
Karim Benzema gets a sight at goal but is well off-target with the attempt. Bale then clips a cross towards Ronaldo, who goes down in the box. Nothing in that.
GOAL! Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona (Andres Iniesta)
Oh my, what a hit! Iniesta is found by Messi and the Spaniard takes one touch and rifles the ball into the top corner.
Tata Martino looks happy and so he should be. The game is only seven minutes old.
Bale drives forward and feeds Benzema before being taken out. The striker checks inside and pulls the trigger but it’s weak.
The Frenchman then fluffs an even better chance. Angel Di Maria does brilliantly to get beyond Alves and cuts back to where Benzema is arriving. He sweeps the shot over the bar, however.
Suprer chance for Messi and you would have put your house on him finishing that. He beats the offside trap and latches onto a Xavi pass but drags a left-footed shot past Lopez’s post.
End to end at the moment and Ronaldo has just tried his luck from distance. He won’t trouble Valdes like that though.
Seconds later, Neymar gets on the wrong side of Pepe but the Brazilian-born Portuguese international recovers well to block the shot.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona (Karim Benzema)
We’re all-square. Di Maria’s delivery from the left is perfect and Benzema rises highest to power a header on target.
Valdes gets a strong hand but can only push it onto the inside of the post.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona (Karim Benzema)
My word! What a game we’ve got here. Madrid get success down that left side again as Marcelo finds Di Maria and his cross is expertly controlled by Benzema.
The former Lyon frontman sets himself up by controlling with his knee, then volleys into the corner.
Benzema could easily have had a hat-trick in the opening half hour. Yet again, Di Maria works his magic before Benzema side-foots towards the bottom corner but Gerard Pique clears off the line.
Di Maria has been hugely influential so far but has just become the first player to be booked due to a rash challenge on Neymar.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona (Lionel Messi)
The little Argentine magician skips past a couple of challenges, feeds Neymar and gets it back to drill home an equaliser from eight yards out.
Directly after that goal, there was a bit of handbags from (you guessed it) Pepe. Never far from controversy, the defender went down holding his head after a coming together between him and Fabregas.
Get in with it already!
Half-time: Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona
I don’t know about you but I need a glass of water after all that. Back in a tick.
Five minutes of the second half and both teams are looking to rediscover some momentum in their play but several niggly fouls have meant it has been extremely stop-start so far.
Gareth Bale, who has been pretty quiet so far, bursts through the Barcelona backline and slips a pass into the path of Benzema. He strikes cleanly but Valdes stands tall and makes the block.
GOAL! Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona (Cristiano Ronaldo)
Ronaldo goes on a jinking run and is caught by the trailing foot of Dani Alves. The referee points to the spot but upon watching the replay, it becomes clear that the contact was made OUTSIDE the box.
No matter, the spot-kick is given and Ronaldo scores La Liga goal number 26 for the season with a clinical finish.
Madrid’s front three Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale all combine to create a really good chance for the Welshman. Not for the first time tonight, Valdes covers himself well and concedes a corner.
A Barcelone corner is headed out as far as Iniesta and has snap-shot deflects behind off Bale.
GOAL! Real Madrid 3-3 Barcelona (Lionel Messi)
Neymar is clipped by Sergio Ramos as he was bearing down on goal and Sergio Ramos receives his marching orders.
With Madrid down to ten men, Messi steps up to make it 3-3.
With Ramos off for an early showever, Carlo Ancelotti is withdrawing a striker in Benzema and brining on his compatriot Raphael Varane.
Want to see the incident which led to the Ramos red card and Messi’s subsequent penalty? You’re welcome:
Source: Qualitative Comps
Cracking hit by Alves, who cracks his shot off the post from 25 yards out. That deserved better.
Cesc Fabregas masks way for Alexis Sanchez. Barca need to win this more than Madrid. 12 minutes on the clock.
GOAL! Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona (Lionel Messi)
Yet more talking points. Iniesta wriggles away from Daniel Carvajal and pokes the ball through the legs of Xabi Alonso, who then makes a slight but clumsy challenge.
The referee points to the spot for the third time and Messi bags himself a hat-trick in typically emphatic fashion.
Ancelotti throws on Alvaro Morato to join Isco as attacking reinforcements with Luka Modric withdrawn.
The clock strikes ninety minutes and we will have three more of additional time.
And that’s all she wrote. I don’t know about you but that was a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes of football. There were plenty of contentious decisions but Lionel Messi bags himself a hat-trick to keep Barcelona in the title race and take some pressure off Tata Martino.
Here’s how the table looks now:
Source: Sky Sports
That’s all from me this evening. Cheers for sticking around, you can watch all seven goals from tonight here.
Has to be the best pairing in football. Messi v Ronaldo ! May the best team win
So many looking at these two, Athletico might just silence them all….. They still getting the results…..
I wouldn’t be at all surprised. Played well today again and were convincing 2-0 winners
I’ve supported Barcelona since the early ’80s. I dislike Real. Especially the dirtbirds Marcello, Pepe and Ramos. Alonso is a sneaky cheater too. Di Maria is a diver. I admit t – I hate Real Madrid! Rant over.
1-0 Barca! Only six minutes gone.
What a hit from Iniesta! Mon Barca.
I did like them, till the spanish government bailed them out…..what other club would get that treatment, since then they have been a fraud.
And a tribute to Franco tonight.. Fook him
1-1. Gick.
Di Maria even gets injured in a celebration! They better not hug him too hard. 2-1. Double gick.
Graham, the Real supporters threatened, en bloc, to close the accounts they have with a particular bank which would have bankrupted the bank.
Well there has been a bucket load of goals this week…. At this stage, I expect a goalkeeper to score from his own 6 yard….
Well, would have lost a team and a bank….. So…. Look at Fiorentina…. Rangers…… These clubs come back, with soul in tact….. Now they are just a greed of the devil club….
Rangers no longer exist. The team that was Rangers have a new name!
Pepe is a filthy player. Fabregas over-reacted but Pepe went after him. If Barca score a third I’d be surprised if Ramos and/or Pepe stay on the pitch.
Ronaldo is having a nightmare game. I know he can score in a split second but up to now he’s been awful.
Pepe mouth will get him in trouble…. Ramos, I like him, plays for the team, not potty like Pepe…
Ronaldos trademark is to disappear in big games, right?
that was no peno.. it’s all happening tonight. Neymar is anonymous, get him off.
Absolutely delighted. Ramos deserves it for taunting the Barca players earlier.
Ye were saying?
It’d be great if that filthy player Pepe was sent off – he seems to be after Fabregas.
Alonso, a sneaky cheat got found out.
Out of interest Scaldy … do you visit Spain to watch matches?
Rangers got liquidated. They no longer exist. Their “soul” is extinct.
And rangers burned creditors to the tune of £130m. Not v soulful.
What are you on about? Minutes silence was for the transition president after Franco . Was there a fans effort or something. Any other club has fans throwing golf balls there would be big trouble. Let’s see what the Spanish fa say. My guess- nothing.
Redtube
The producers are LOVING this 4k zoom replay gadget they got for their birthday
Can anyone suggest any decent links that wont make me X off adds every 5 minutes?
Few on ustream
Install adblock
I’ll Check it out, Sound man! @Sean, I may do that. been meaning too for a good while, sound!
Yeah, adblock is the greatest lil app ever….. Never had a problem simply googling a live feed, but using a private vpn is a good idea too…
Lost the stream briefly 2 times in first half,usually would use frontrowsports or VIPbox but watching this on my iPad so ustream is best for that. Better than being robbed by sky anyway.
Thanks for that ustream tip….. Installed it just in time to see that penalty won….. Hope the media are all over this….. A game like this should not be decided over something like that dive……
Run at someone then you throw your leg at them, make contact and fall down..win a penalty. Its turning into ballet is football
Becoming farcical I thinks…..
Has it’s moments graham,not as consistent as some others but works on mobile.
Peno was a shocker,used to watch la liga all the time but give up in dismay over the cheating.
Seen as the Ipad is an extension of my arm, it works well enough…. 4-3 now…. The weekend of goals…. Bale to score from 2nd level in the stands next??
Well,massive entertainment there and it’s a close as it gets now. I’ll just go bury my head in the sand until Wednesday now or until September even.
There are worst things in life Davin….. I gave up beer for lent! Sometimes I feel as stupid as some of those trolls who stain the red devil badge….. Thanks for being here, good to have a good yap……. Enjoy the sand….. Come up for air though….
€5 on Messi to score 1st but R Madrid to win 3-2 @125/1 …..
No sneaky late pints for me tonight ….
Two of the best teams in the world……can’t wait to watch……Cristiano Ronaldo my favourite player ever
Looking forward to watching Barca beating Madrid 3-1, remember you heard it here first
Monkey, you are on?…
I mean for Madrid though…
Sorry did I say 3-1 Barca I meant 4-3
Some start to this game, should be a proper clasico.
Oh look pepes on the ground..shock horror
Now that’s a title race , anyone of them could win it unlike the English league where it’s obvious who the great pretenders are
Was Bale playing tonite?
Was just about to post that neymar is having another shit game. But, what a brilliant run in around the back of the defense, and has done very well to go down, albeit with minima contact. This may get them back in the title race. Football much more about passing, shooting, scoring etc. It’s about getting the numerical advantage and camping in opponents half. Will it change? I don’t know! As it is, play the whole game to win, this includes niggle, diving with minimal contact, simulation. siMuLATION
If Barca lose this….thats their league over…..Cant see Madrid not destroying their defence……3-2 Real
Barca have just cheated their way back into the La Liga race
Err, play the whole game. Punching is part of the game in NHL and it evolved this way over years. Teams with better punchers have an advantage in ice hockey. Football is different. Teams with smarter simulators have a big advantage. And I am not talking about diving. I am talking about drawing a foul. You need to get into the box to achieve this so obviously teams can earn the right to simulate by playing good football. Are we all blind to what is really going on?
Gavin there’s no contact between Ramos and Naymer . Drawing the foul is one thing but conning the ref and joe public is another . This feels hasn’t a patch on Pele and never will
Barca all over them and then that
Gareth Bale played like Gareth Bale, Ronaldo played like a round bale.
Worse referee than marriner!
Vipbox
For some lad showing you how to meet Irish singles or even the lad that shows you spread stock betting. Guaranteed 800 dollars a day so…it’s a game to get to full screen( where the adverts cannot harm you) except I noticed lately that a crazy, unsigned single pops up yo hurt your ears ever so subtly… Get the channels in hd, buy one less bottle of 12 year old whiskey, or a few less bottle of Rioja a month. As a type this, Barca have swan lakes themselves to the lead. And the WHOLE game was played and won.
What a strike. Come on Barca!!!