La Liga Lowdown, Jornada 32: Ronaldo saves Real Madrid in El Clásico showdown

This weekend saw the series opener of a scheduled four clásicos between La Liga’s top two, Barcelona and Real Madrid. With the league game out of the way, the pair are also set to meet each other in the Spanish Cup final and in the Champions League semi-finals.

José Mourinho had some extra thinking to do after his team were humiliated the last time the two teams met, losing 5-0 at the Camp Nou. It was a significant result, one that the Real Madrid supporters, and Mourinho himself, will never be able to live down. He had to come up with something new to beat his rivals this time.

Although the style remained the same, there were a few changes in personnel. Portuguese defender Pepe was employed in a holding midfield role, as opposed to his usual position in the backline, a position that was taken up by Raúl Albiol. The most unusual decision, though, was that attacking midfielder Mesut Özil was left on the bench. It was a big decision, but in playing three central midfielders (including one who is naturally a defender), Mourinho’s plan was clear – get on top of the Barça midfield.

All seemed to be going to plan; Barça, as expected, had been in control of possession from the start, but Pepe was playing fantastically well in the middle of it all. Chances were few and far between for the majority of the first-half, though Leo Messi went close early on, only to be denied by Iker Casillas. The teams went in level at half-time despite Barça having over 80% of the possession, and completing double the amount of passes. It was typical of the Catalans, but something was missing. There was no real urgency or direction. The threat was somewhat lacking.

The second period began a bit more brightly for Real Madrid as Cristiano Ronaldo rattled the post with a trademark powerful free-kick. But in the 53^rd minute, things changed. A simple long ball over the top put David Villa through on goal, only for him to be brought down in the box by Raúl Albiol. The uphill struggle began – “almost mission impossible” as Mourinho put it. Albiol was sent off and Messi converted the penalty to make it 1-0.

A rather dull game began to come to life, and so did Madrid with the introduction of Mesut Özil. With just eight minutes to go, the German playmaker created an opening; full-back Marcelo charged into the area where he was ajudged to have been fouled by compatriot Dani Alves. Referee Muñiz Fernández pointed to the spot for a second time, and Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to score his first ever goal against Barcelona to draw Madrid level.

The Barça players were left shocked, and not least of all Dani Alves, who was annoyed with the awarding of the penalty. After the game he commented: “Penalty? I didn’t touch the player, I got the ball cleanly. Marcelo told me he had no other choice than to throw himself over.”

The full-time whistle went at the Bernabéu, and the Madrid fans and players celebrated their point. But, of course, it wasn’t the end for José Mourinho. The penalty incident in the second-half had given him his ammunition. “I am tired of playing with 10 against Barcelona,” he moaned. “I would like to play one day against Barcelona with 11 men.”

Real Madrid may have come away with a point on Saturday, but deep down many, including Mourinho, will just be happy they weren’t embarrassed in another clásico. And despite the point, the title race is all but over. With six games to go, Barcelona are still eight points clear. Not that they will admit it, but it’s all about the cups for Madrid now, starting with the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday.

Lower down the Lowdown

• In the battle for European qualification, Espanyol and Atlético shared the points in a thoroughly entertaining 2-2 draw. Atlético were a goal up inside a minute through youngster Koke, but Pablo Osvaldo equalised close to half-time. Kun Agüero then put Atléti ahead again in the second-half, but once again Espanyol showed their character to pull a goal back. The return of Osvaldo will be a massive boost for Mauricio Pochettino’s team - he’s now scored 3 goals in 3 games since his recovery from injury.
• Levante’s incredible rise continued this weekend with a home victory against Hércules. Once down and out, staring relegation in the face, Luis García’s men now sit 9^th in the league, on the verge of the European places. They have now gone eight games unbeaten, and haven’t lost since February 19. Ex-Barcelona midfielder Xavi Torres was magnificent again, and in top scorer Felipe Caicedo’s absence, Rubén Suárez popped up to score a wonderfully placed free-kick.
• Another team that once looked doomed, Deportivo La Coruña, earned their third win in four games beating Racing Santander at the Riazor. The timing of both Deportivo’s goals hit Racing hard – the first came just before half-time and the second a couple of minutes within the restart. The goals of Xisco could be key in keeping Depor out of danger; the Spaniard chipped in with his second goal in five games since re-joining after an unsuccessful spell in England.
• Málaga finally pulled themselves out of the relegation zone with a comprehensive 3-0 win over mid-table Mallorca. They have one man in particular to thank for that – Júlio Baptista. He led from the front, scoring twice on his comeback, and later went off to rapturous applause from the fans at La Rosaleda.

Results

Getafe 1-0 Sevilla, Málaga 3-0 Mallorca, Almería 0-3 Valencia, Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona, Real Sociedad 2-1 Sporting, Levante 2-1 Hércules, Deportivo 2-0 Racing, Osasuna 1-2 Athletic, Espanyol 2-2 Atlético, Villarreal 1-0 Zaragoza.

Goal of the Week

Rubén Suárez (Levante 2-1 Hércules)

Atletico Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dani Alves, Deportivo la Coruña, Espanyol, FC Barcelona, Jose Mourinho, Levante, Lionel Messi, Malaga, Real Madrid, Sergio Aguero