Luis Suarez drilled in a brilliant second-half winner as Barcelona maintained control of the Spanish title race by beating Real Madrid in a pulsating El Clasico.
Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out an early header from Jeremy Mathieu before Suarez struck to leave the hosts four points clear at the top of La Liga.
Although Barca made the brighter start, Real soon got into the game and had the first big chance when Karim Benzema’s cross found Ronaldo unmarked at the far post, but he did not have much angle to work with and could only send his cushioned volley against the crossbar.
Barca then went ahead after Suarez won a free-kick, Lionel Messi swung it into the middle and French centre-back Mathieu arrived unmarked to send a perfectly placed header past the dive of Iker Casillas.
But Real battled quickly back and a dramatic minute saw Suarez’s cross-shot present Neymar with a golden chance which he put straight at Casillas, before Real immediately broke and Benzema’s brilliant backheel found Ronaldo for a low stabbed finish. This was a very different Luis Suarez from the man who made his belated Barca debut on the right wing in October’s 3-1 Clasico defeat at the Bernabeu.
Suarez is now firmly established as the team’s centre forward and he delivered a man-of-the-match performance, scoring a superb winner which owed everything to a delightful first touch, and giving the Real back four a torrid night with his superb movement and relentless workrate.
Just a few weeks ago Barca boss Luis Enrique was forced to regularly defend the former Liverpool man after his career in Spain started with a notable lack of goals, but that has all changed ever since his brace against Manchester City in the Champions League.
Suarez has now scored seven goals in seven games since that triumphant night at the Etihad, and his Clasico performance, in which he again linked well with Lionel Messi and Neymar, confirms he is an integral part of the most devastating strike force in world football. Source of Story:BBC
