Wow. (to quote the Christopher Walker as the Intercontinental) Wowie wow wow, wow!
Obviously i'm biased, but it was a good game, and for once a game without controversy. No red cards, no penalties, just football. Madrid pressed the attack for the first 10 minutes and it paid off with a Benzema goal in the first 20 seconds. While Barca wasn't as sharp, and as dominant in possession as usual, it was clear the best team came out ahead. I was actually disappointed in Leo Messi this match, if that was his own shortcoming or a well executed Madrid plan, i'm not sure yet, but his assist to Sanchez was superb, as was his pass to Dani Alves before Fabregas' header. It says a lot about Messi in a match with two brilliant passes to create goals that it was a disappointing day.
On the other side of the ball, Ronaldo laid another goose egg. His free kicks were generally poor, and Pique and Puyol kept him controlled all night. DiMaria also had a rough game, but that is becoming standard issue against Barcelona. DiMaria on his own is brilliant, if a bit light on his feet, but when he comes against a organized, and talented defensive unit, he tens to get greedy and wastes opportunities, as he did tonight.
Barcelona is now even on points with Madrid, although they have a game in hand. Next up is the Club World Cup in Japan, in which Barca are naturally the heavy favorites. As with every Classico, the post game ramifications will be shown from all angles, and certainly there will be some tidbits worth mentioning in the days ahead. For instance, Andres Iniesta posted a photo of facebook of him at his locker in his tighty whities, fascinating stuff.
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