Top 6 hits and misses of the El Clasico

A disappointed Lionel Messi looks on as Ronaldo and Kroos celebrate Real Madrid’s victory over BarcelonaThe biggest match in club football turned out to be a spectacle as it lived up to its high standards and expectations. Both sides looked determined to outclass and outperform each other and stomp their authority over the league. Real Madrid had more on the line as nothing short of a win would aid their chances in the title race. Whereas for Barcelona, it was all about gaining a bigger margin and sitting at the top with a comfortable lead.With only three minutes gone, Barcelona kicked things off at the Bernabeu through Neymar who gave an early lead to the visitors, silencing the Bernabeu faithful. But that didn’t hurt Real’s moral as they began to settle into the game with every passing minute and replied from a Ronaldo penalty.Real took the lead in the second half after Pepe headed Kroos’ delivery from the corner before Isco, Ronaldo, Benzema and James all combined perfectly as the Frenchman slotted in Madrid’s thrid to secure a convincing victory over their arch rivals.While Ancelotti yielded the fruits of his appropriately setup tactics, Luis Enrique had to suffer for making some questionable decisions in arguably the biggest game of his career since taking on the managerial seat at Camp Nou. Were the players up to the mark for Lucho?We take a look at some of the focal players and how they fared at the game.

#6 Suarez - Hit

Even though, he registered no shots and had zero attempts on goal for Barcelona, the Uruguayan’s return to the footballing pitch was marked by one assist in his debut at the Santiago Bernabeu. He squared off Neymar for his first goal and also set up Messi for another, which could have doubled the Catalan side’s lead if not for Casillas’ brilliant block.

He caused problems here and then but was nullified by Ramos and Pepe for most parts. Nonetheless, his return itself was a great prospect and brightened up an already star-studded Clasico. Judging from the performance he gave after an absence of four months, the former Liverpool forward will need some amount of time to adjust to his team before he becomes a devastating force for Enrique alongside Messi and Neymar.