Real Madrid staged a comeback to crush Barcelona.

The Catalan team scored first but ultimately lost 1-3 in the El Clásico match on October 25th at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid players rejoiced at the misfortune of their arch-rivals. Photo: AFP.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have created a balance in world football for decades, and their clashes attract intense attention from football fans. Within this balance, one team sometimes dominates at certain times. On the evening of October 25th, that disparity emerged, with the home team, Real Madrid, having the upper hand.

Before the match, fans expected a more balanced game than what actually unfolded on the pitch. This was because both Barca and Real had been in good form recently. Coach Luis Enrique's team was unbeaten in La Liga with seven wins in eight matches. They also hadn't conceded a single goal in the domestic league. Real, on the other hand, had a streak of eight consecutive wins with an impressive goal-scoring record.

The two rivals charged at each other with confidence. The explosion came sooner than expected when Neymar broke the deadlock in the fourth minute. Conceding at home seemed to have ignited Real Madrid's fury. They attacked relentlessly, and goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, and Karim Benzema followed as a matter of course.

With a 3-1 victory, Real Madrid narrowed the gap with Barcelona to just one point.

Barca and Real produced an exciting first half. Both teams played an attacking game, exchanging blows and making the most of the gaps in their opponents' defenses.

Since falling behind 1-2 and then 1-3, Barca's morale visibly dropped. They became ineffective in attack, failing to show the reaction of a strong team after conceding a goal. While Barca struggled to break through Real's defense, they also conceded dangerous counter-attacks. If the white-shirted players had been more clinical in their passing, Barca might have suffered a much heavier defeat.

The home team played better and better, with improved coordination, higher tempo, and creating significantly more dangerous situations. For the past five years or so, Barca had always played calmly and been the superior team against Real, but that has changed. The Catalan team has become unfamiliar and vulnerable at the Bernabeu.

Suarez surrounded by Real Madrid players. Photo: AFP.

At the start, coach Enrique wanted to play it safe by bringing on Xavi, a regular substitute this season, to replace Ivan Rakitic. Luis Suarez, after serving a four-month ban, made his debut for his new team. Although the Uruguayan striker's coordination with his new teammates wasn't perfect, his debut couldn't be considered a failure. Suarez assisted Neymar's goal in the fourth minute. In the 23rd minute, he also delivered an accurate cross from the right wing for Messi to finish from close range. The Argentinian striker has only himself to blame for shooting wide of the post, missing the chance to equal Telmo Zarra's record.Apart from these two passes, Suarez made virtually no other impact and was substituted in the 69th minute.

Last night wasn't a good performance from Messi, nor Ronaldo. Aside from the penalty goal, the Portuguese forward didn't show his usual sharpness in attack. CR7 contributed to the overall play, was dangerous on the fast counter-attacks, and that was about it. Casillas, Pepe, Marcelo, James Rodriguez, and Benzema were the good players for Real.

After conceding an early goal, Benzema nearly equalized for Real with two consecutive shots hitting the crossbar in the 11th minute. Marcelo was even more impressive, attacking at speed and tormenting Dani Alves. In the 35th minute, the Brazilian defender dribbled past two Barca players and passed the ball inside, which struck Pique's hand, and the referee awarded Real a penalty. Ronaldo then scored to equalize 1-1.

Ronaldo scored in 11 consecutive matches. Photo: Reuters.

With the score level, Real punished Barca's defense from a corner kick. No defender was marking Pepe, allowing him to easily head the ball into the net from close range to make it 2-1.

Trailing, Barca had to attack, creating dangerous gaps in their defense. In the 61st minute, Ronaldo and James combined, with Benzema finding himself in the penalty area to fire a diagonal shot, sealing a 3-1 victory.

Starting lineup

Real Madrid(4-4-1-1): Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Rodriguez, Modric (Arbeloa 88), Kroos, Isco (Illarramendi 78); Ronaldo; Benzema (Khedira 85)

Goals: Ronaldo 35, Pepe 51, Benzema 61

Portuguese(4-3-3): Bravo; Dani Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Mathieu; Iniesta (Roberto 73), Busquets, Xavi (Rakitic 60); Suarez (Pedro 68), Naymar, Messi

Goal: Neymar 4

According to VnExpress.net