Ronaldo & Zidane silence doubters

The first half of Real Madrid’s surprising win at Barcelona was an example of a failure to challenge one’s preconceptions and experiences, as if Madrid had already accepted the superiority of Barca and vice versa.



There was little attempt to settle scores or show pride and while Barca were quick in attack and Madrid occasionally showed their worth, Johan Cruyff deserved more.

Sergio Ramos made an effort to bring things to life by making a series of errors, putting the referee to the test and forcing Keylor Navas to be a hero. Madrid’s No.1 could not stop Gerard Pique but he more than played his part in halting Barca.

His central defenders, on the other hand, did not match the performance levels of their team-mates, with Pepe perhaps the most culpable despite Ramos’ eventual dismissal.

Fortunately for those of a Madrid persuasion, Los Blancos were able to snap out of their inferiority complex soon after conceding. Barcelona were clicking into gear in what had been a sleepy Clasico until that point, but finally Real mustered a response.

One pass after another, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo and Toni Kroos all involved in the move that finished with Karim Benzema volleying past Claudio Bravo. From the first pass you could see the quality of the move develop, that it was the route to a comeback.