IT was a night for the all-time greats as Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano
Ronaldo prevailed over Lionel Messi and the spirit of Barcelona legend Johan
Cruyff.
It was a Clasico case of smash and grub.
Ronaldo’s late winner for ten-man Real Madrid ending Barcelona’s 39-game
unbeaten run and blew the La Liga title race wide open.
Boss Zizou outdid Barca’s Luis Enrique after kicking Barca up in the air for
75 minutes and pummeling them into submission with the ball for the last
quarter of an hour.
Cruyff was watching from on high and Barcelona, a team that has represented
his vision through the last three decades, did their best to do him proud.
For three minutes ahead of kick- off deafening applause from the 98,000
capacity crowd in honour of the late Dutch master shook the Nou Camp to its
foundation.
Tens of thousands then lifted up the gigantic mosaic that read “Gracies Johan”
giving thanks to the club’s greatest player and greatest manager.
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As fate would have it, Barca’s first home game after Cruyff’s death was
against their eternal rivals. Straight from the kick-off Real were engulfed
by wave upon wave of Barcs attacks.
Rarely has a Clasico looked so one-sided for so long and then somehow the team
under the cosh ends up winning.
It happened last night.
Sure, Barcelona deserved to smash Madrid. And, yes, Sergio Ramos should have
been seen FIVE yellow cards before being sent off for a second booking with
seven minutes left for a foul on Luis Suarez.
But then Madrid had a good Gareth Bale goal disallowed with about ten minutes
left for a foul on Jordi Alba which left the Welshman fuming at referee Jose
Hernandez Hernandez.
For all of the hosts’ countless chances, Ronaldo also struck the crossbar just
after Bale’s wrongfully disallowed strike.
Zidane sent out a Mourinho-style Madrid to hack the Catalans down.
Barca zipped it about with class and intensity but time and again fluffed
their lines in front of goal as keeper Keylor Navas was heroic.
He denied Ivan Rakitic in the first half and pushed away Messi’s audacious
chip in the second.
Gerard Pique nailed his header home to put Barca ahead from Rakitic’s corner
and celebrated wildly.
Enrique’s world champions looked certain winners but Karim Benzema levelled
out of nowhere, ramming home Toni Kroos’ deflected pass with a spectacular
side-ways bicycle kick.
Zidane threw Jese on for Benzema and Real moved through the gears.
Bale’s strike was chalked off and Ron’s curler came off the top of the bar
before Ramos was sent off.
Still, Barca were caught by a sucker punch as Bale’s looping cross found
Ronaldo, who chested it down and beat Claudio Bravo at his near post.
Ron’s now scored TEN goals in his last nine visits to the Nou Camp.
On a night Cruyff offered us emotion, Messi gave the spectacle, Zidane showed
pragmatism and Ron delivered the substance.