Goals: Real Madrid-Ronaldo (penalty) 35' - Pepe 50' - Benzema 61'; Barcelona-Neymar 4'
Recap: Ninety minutes of inspired football saw Real Madrid capture a 3-1 victory over Barcelona on Saturday.
It was Barcelona, however, that opened the affair just four minutes in. Scintillating individual skill from Neymar gifted the visitors a 1-0 lead. Madrid continued to mount the pressure, earning a penalty in the 34th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo left zero doubts with his finish. Both sides to enter the half tied at one. An inch-perfect header from Madrid center-back Pepe broke the deadlock five minutes after the break. A clinical counter-attack allowed Karim Benzema seal the 3-1 victory in the 61st minute.
With the result, Real Madrid inches closer to the top of La Liga, sitting one point behind Barcelona with 21.
Key Moment: Benzema will be credited with the match-changing finish, but it was sprung by the individual efforts of Isco. The 22-year-old, executing Carlo Ancelotti's high-pressure tactic, pounced on errant possession from the Barcelona defense. His outlet pass to Ronaldo allowed the reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or winner to find James Rodriguez, and Rodriguez to find Benzema. The rest is written in the record books.
Man of the Match: Real Madrid's James Rodriguez served as the perfect facilitator for the club's strike partnership. The 22-year-old finished with an assist, three take-ons and two chances created.
Lesson Learned: Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has an embarrassment of riches that could prove to be troublesome. An injury to Gareth Bale allowed Isco to see additional minutes for Los Galacticos. In Bale's absence, the Spaniard has been nothing short of extraordinary, seamlessly dominating in the club's 4-4-2 system. Upon Bale's return, his exclusion from starting XI is certain; however, it shouldn't be.
Up Next: Real Madrid visits Cornella on Oct. 29, while Barcelona hosts Celta Vigo on Nov. 1.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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