Full time: Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid



But they did enough to claim all three points as the referee blows the final whistle, giving Barcelona a four-point advantage over Real at the top

90+2' Barcelona are very wasteful on the break! 

88' Real make their final substitution. Modric is replaced with Lucas Silva. 

87' Casillas pulls off another fine save to smother a low, first-time shot from Messi. 

87' With three minutes remaining, Real Madrid look to have run out of steam. 

86' Alba wastes another chance for Barcelona!! He is found by a deft pass from Messi but his shot is thwarted by the onrushing Casillas. 

84' Barcelona make their final substitution. Neymar, who was wasteful tonight, makes way for Rafinha. 

84' Luis Suarez turns his marker inside out but his shot goes across the six-yard box. 

80' Real also make a substitution. Attacking midfielder Jese replaces Isco. 

79' Barcelona make their second substitution. Veteran midfielder Xavi replaces Iniesta. 

78' At the other end, a deflected shot by Benzema is superbly thwarted by the diving Bravo. 

77' Messi has another shot blocked by the defence. Barcelona could be punished after wasting several clear-cut chances. 

76' Barcelona make their first substitution. Ivan Rakitic is replaced with Sergio Busquets. 

74' Barcelona are still waseftul!! Neymar is fed by a threaded pass from Messi following a flowing move but his right-foot shot, under pressure from a defender, goes wide. 

73' Barcelona squander another goal-scoring chance! Messi, for the first time tonight, goes close with a curling shot that narrowly misses the target. 

73' Real Madrid make their first substitution. Pepe is replaced with fellow defender Raphael Varane. It seems Ancelotti is worried over a possible red card for Pepe. 

71' Barca full-back Dani Alves is booked for pushing Isco. 

71' Neymar makes another jinking run but his eventual shot is blocked by the defence. 

67' Neymar wastes a chance!! He runs half the length of the pitch, skips past Pepe and Ramos but he shoots wide although Suarez lurks in a very good position. 

66' Barcelona look dangerous on the break. Neymar runs onto a through ball but falls under an apparent challenger from Carvajal. The referee waves play on. 

64' The hosts are in control as Real seem downhearted after conceding another goal. 

61' Barca midfielder Mascherano receives a yellow card for a foul on Ronaldo. 

60' Barcelona move the ball around smoothly, appearing very confident after restoring their lead. 

58' Barcelona once again score against the run of play, thanks to a Real defensive lapse. 

56' Suarez catches the defence napping to restore Barcelona's advantage! He escapes the attention of Pepe to brilliantly control a long ball from Alves, holds off the Portuguese and sends a low shot into the bottom corner. 

56' GOOOOAAAAAL FOR BARCELONA!!!

53' Sergio Ramos makes a headed clearance after Messi floats in the ensuing free-kick. 

52' Real midfielder Modric is also booked for a challenge on Messi. 

51' Real Madrid remain the better side. 

49' A chance for Real Madrid!! Benzema feeds Ronaldo and receives the return pass inside the area. His shot from a tight angle is smothered by Bravo. 

48' Real's right-back Dani Carvajal is booked for tugging Neymar down the left flank. 

47' Real Madrid will be looking to continue from where they left off in the first half. They are notably superior tonight. 

46' Bale tries to get on the end of a through pass but Bravo rushes out to collect the ball. 

The second half is underway 

The referee blows his halftime whistle

45' Sergio Ramos is booked for a foul on Messi. Real's defensive pair both received yellow cards in the first half. 

43' Another chance is wasted by Real Madrid! A corner causes mayhem in the Barca area and the ball falls kindly to Bale but he shoots wide with the goal at his mercy. 

43' Ronaldo fires a powerful right-foot drive after cutting inside but Claudio Bravo tips it over! What a stunning strike! 

41' An audacious over-head kick by Pique goes high over. 

40' A goal for Real Madrid is controversially disallowed!! Bale pokes the ball home following a flick from Ronaldo but the referee flags offside. 

39' Pique makes a superb tackle to halt a marauding run by Bale. 

38' Real Madrid's midfield pair Toni Kroos and Modric are doing a great job tonight. Their neat distribution of the ball is a huge asset to the visitors. 

37' Ronaldo is booked for diving after a marauding run into the area. Barca full-back Jordi Alba is also booked for protesting. 

34' Modric tries his luck from distance but his low shot misses the target. 

31' Ronaldo levels the score as Barcelona are punished for Neymar's glaring miss!! Modric's pass is back-heeled by Benzema to the onrushing Ronaldo, who toe-pokes the ball home. 

31' GOOOOAAAAAL FOR REAL MADRID!!!

31' Neymar spurns a golden goal-scoring chance for Barcelona!! A mis-hit shot from Suarez finds him with the goal at his mercy but his effort goes straight into the keeper's hands. 

30' Messi plays from deep. He repeatedly tries to pick out Neymar with long cross-field passes. 

28' Suarez receives a yellow card for a challenge on Pepe as both sides tussle for the ball. 

26' Marcelo creates space for himself on the edge of the area but his shot with his weak right foot is blocked by the defence. 

24' Ronaldo skips past his challenger on the left and sends a cross that is cleared by the Barca defence. Ronaldo is whistled off by the crowd every time he touches the ball. 

23' Messi's ensuing free-kick hits the wall and goes out for a corner. 

21' Real Madrid's defender Pepe is booked for a challenge on Luis Suarez. 

19' French defender Jeremy Mathieu gets ahead of marker Sergio Ramos to powerfully head home an inch-perfect free kick from Messi as Barca take the lead. 

19' GOOOOAAAAAL FOR BARCELONA!!!

17' Messi finds Neymar on the left and the Brazilian crosses the ball to the Argentinean wizard, whose mis-directed header goes wide. 

16' Real Madrid are livelier. They neatly play the ball around in the final third. 

13' Real Madrid waste the game's best chance so far. 

12' What a chance for Real Madrid!! A superb lofted ball from Benzema finds Ronaldo at the far post but the Portuguese winger's volley strikes the bar. 

10' Pepe makes a superb interception to steal the ball ahead of Suarez following a long ball. 

8' A low shot from Karim Benzema from the edge of the area goes wide. 

7' Real Madrid are still cautious, with Barcelona taking a bold approach. 

5' Messi draws cheers from the passionate Nou Camp crowd after nut-mugging Toni Kroos! 

3' The first chance for Barcelona!! Iniesta superbly exchanges passes with Messi to evade the defence on the left hand side of the penalty area. His cross finds the sliding Suarez, whose effort strikes a defender and goes out. 

1' Ronaldo makes a darting run down the left but he finds little assistance from his teammates, with Barcelona's defence stealing possession. 

The match is underway 


Barcelona's starting line-up: Claudio Bravo, Daniel Alves, Gerard Pique, Jeremy Mathieu, Jordi Alba, Ivan Rakitic, Javier Mascherano, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar

Real Madrid's starting line-up: Iker Casillas, Dani Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Isco, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo 


21:30 Both sides are warming up, around 30 minutes before kick-off. 

21:15 There are no surprises in Real Madrid's starting XI, with Ancelotti fielding the usual attacking trio of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo. 

21:10 Jeremy Mathieu will partner Gerard Pique in the heart of Barcelona's defence, with Javier Mascherano switched to a central midfield position following the injury of Busquets. 

20:20 Barcelona coach Luis Enrique played down the 'favourite tag' saying: "Generally, we have to think that in this type of game there aren't favourites. There is a lot at stake and the two teams have players that are out of this world. He added that he doesn't think that the game is a title decider as there still 10 games to play.

19:30 Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "Being favourites or not depends on your form. At the moment Barca are in better form than us. That aside, it is a very difficult game for both teams. We have confidence because this game gives us the opportunity to return to the top of the table."

19:00 Check a list of the key battles in tonight's Clasico 

18:30 Check some interesting numbers behind tonight's Clasico 

18:00 Barcelona confirmed on Sunday that midfielder Busquets has been passed fit to take part in the game after recovering from an ankle injury. 

17:00 The game may well be decided in the midfield, where Madrid has finally managed to match Barcelona by bringing in strong passers like Toni Kroos and Francisco ''Isco'' Alarcon.

Madrid will be without James Rodriguez with a broken foot, while Javier Mascherano should seamlessly fill in for Barcelona in place of injured stopper Sergio Busquets. The question then for Luis Enrique is whether to play Jeremy Mathieu or Marca Bartra alongside Gerard Pique in defense.

16:30 Not surprisingly, Madrid's troubles coincide with a dip in form from Ronaldo.

Ronaldo once held a big lead over Messi in goals scored in the league, 23-13 through 15 matches. Messi has since gone on a scoring streak with 19 goals in the last 12 games, while Ronaldo has notched five. Messi now leads Ronaldo 32-30 in the league and 43-41 overall.

16:30 Messi is back to playing at a level reminiscent of his best days under former coach Pep Guardiola.

Luis Enrique has moved Messi back to his original position on the right side of Barcelona's attack, and Messi is flourishing both as a scorer and in his newfound role as the team's best passer and playmaker.

16:30 All eyes tonight will be on the Ronaldo-Messi rivalry.  

16:00 Barcelona appeared to be on the brink of a breakdown following a loss at Real Sociedad in early January. That was followed by a chaotic week that included the firing of its sport director and president Josep Bartomeu calling for early elections in the offseason.

The team has responded in incredible fashion. Barcelona has reached the final of the Copa del Rey, the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and has passed Madrid in the league.

15:30 ''We face the match with a lot of respect,'' Messi said. ''Madrid never plays poorly and when they appear to be struggling, they are even more dangerous. They have incredibly talented players, and we have to respect then more than ever.''

15:00 Regardless of the teams' contrasting form, one constant will remain: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will again vie to leave their mark on one of the most hotly contested rivalries in soccer.
 

14:30 Barcelona is on a run of 17 wins in its last 18 games and leads the league by one point, while Madrid is a shadow of the side that ended 2014 on a Spanish record 22-match winning streak that included a 3-1 win over the Catalan club.

14:00 A surging Barcelona has overhauled Real Madrid in the Spanish league standings, and the team now has the chance to open up a significant gap in the second ''clasico'' of the season on Sunday.

Venue: Nou Camp, Barcelona

Referee: Antonio Mateu

League positions: 

Barcelona: 1st with 65 points after 27 games.

Real Madrid: 2nd with 64 points after 27 games.

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