Real Madrid give a heavy blow to Barcelona at Camp Nou, The Blancos win 2 goals to 1 at the home ground of Barcelona. Here are the five lessons we learn.
1. Barcelona are far from invincible
Thirty-nine games and out. Barcelona were going for Juventus' unbeaten record of 43 games across all competitions, but didn't even reach Nottingham Forest's 40. This was no smash and grab Real Madrid victory, but a fully deserved one.
Admittedly it was a game of two halves, with Barcelona better in the first and Madrid in the second, but from the Catalan side's point of view, the way they just surrendered their lead will be more than a source of shame, against their bitter rivals, but worrying for the rest of the season too.
Star striking trio Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all off form, with Suarez missing a sitter, Messi drifting in and out and Neymar finding Dani Carvajal far tougher than Danilo to break down. All three had long trips to South America in midweek and it showed here. The physios and coaching staff will be doing everything they can to make sure they reach Tuesday's clash against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in better condition.
If they get a bad result in that match it would be possible that a whole season's work could come undone in the space of four days.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be written off just yet
It had not been an easy game for Cristiano Ronaldo. But he just has to pick his moments. He finally had the chance he was begging for, late in the second half, and like the cold-eyed killer he is, dispatched it past Claudio Bravo to win Madrid the game and their pride back.
There is no doubt Ronaldo is on the decline, but scoring goals is something he is still very, very good at. If he were to leave Madrid in the summer, as has been touted, any side signing him would be getting a forward capable of driving them to glory in any competition.
Buying Ronaldo won't get you the dribbling wing wizard of years past, but you will be getting a player who knows where the goal is and finds it 50 times a season.
3. Barcelona fail to deliver on footballing tribute to Johan Cruyff
Off the field, Barcelona have done a spectacular job of paying tribute to late great Johan Cruyff. The man who has played a bigger role than almost any other in shaping the club as it is today, sadly passed away because of lung cancer, and the club have put on a series of events to remember him.
The Cruyff memorial open to the public saw over 50,000 people visit and a wonderfully put-together video was shown before the game. A mosaic reading 'Gracias Johan' was spectacular and got many at the stadium emotional, wiping away tears. But Luis Enrique had claimed the best tribute of all would be to win the game and play great football. And that's where they failed.
4. Luis Suarez is both amazing and awful at the same time
Luis Suarez is a bewildering player in many ways, even when you leave out all the baggage that comes with him, the biting, the racism incident with Evra, the diving accusations that trailed him in the Premier League. In the space of one game he can do something amazing and something awful. In the space of one minute he can do something amazing and something awful. Even in the space of one move.
This season Suarez has missed more clear-cut chances than it's possible to count. Sometimes seeing them saved, sometimes hitting the woodwork, sometimes firing wide or over. This time he decided not to kick the ball at all. Neymar soared into space cutting it back to the Uruguayan, who somehow fluffed his lines and was left punting thin air.
And yet, Suarez is also a genius. This season he has scored some of the finest Barcelona goals with searing volleys and perfectly placed curlers. His supreme physical work gave Sergio Ramos nightmares, with the defender eventually sent off for one too many fouls on the forward. Suarez has an impressive 43 goals this season, which makes his misses all the more remarkable.
5. Gareth Bale is Real Madrid's most dangerous player
Injury after injury has made Gareth Bale's time at Madrid very difficult. But this season, when he has been able to play, the Welshman has been his side's most dangerous player.
Having been able to stay in the Spanish capital during the international break, in the later stages of this game Bale was still fit and buzzing around while others tired. He was denied the winning goal when his header was ruled out for a foul on Jordi Alba which was non-existent.
But instead of moaning about it, he got the ball again and set up Ronaldo, who scored the winner. Bale's attitude has been good this season. When Rafa Benitez was sacked, he could have sulked, given he got on well with the Spaniard. But instead he is continuing to produce the same form under Zinedine Zidane.
With Bale playing like this, a bad season for Madrid could turn into a good one - they should see off Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter-finals and turn the chance of the 'undecima' - 11th European Cup - into a real possibility.
@DailyMail
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