Real Madrid and local rivals Atletico played out a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon, allowing the visitors to stretch their unbeaten league run at the Bernabeu to five games.
The point also keeps Diego Simeone’s men in control of second place, four points clear of their local rivals with just seven games remaining, but perhaps the team happiest of all with the outcome is Barcelona, whose title march is looking more comfortable than ever.
Here we check out the main talking points to arise from the latest Madrid derby.
Double-figures for unstoppable Ronaldo
Before the game there was speculation that Cristiano Ronaldo would be rested from the starting XI, but manager Zinedine Zidane resisted that temptation and will have been relieved he did so, with Ronaldo posing a regular goal threat in a game which saw few attacking players shine.
It was pretty much inevitable when Ronaldo opened the scoring early in the second half, meeting a deep cross from the otherwise disappointing Gareth Bale with a crisply struck and perfectly placed first-time volley into the bottom left corner.
Ronaldo has now scored in ten consecutive games for Real, netting an incredible 20 goals during that period, and perhaps the greatest tribute to his quality was the lack of bite evident in his team’s attacks after he was substituted.
Zidane’s decision to replace his star asset after an hour appeared to have been agreed before the game, with the intention of keeping the 33-year-old fresh for the Champions League run-in over the next few weeks.
The lack of sharpness in front of goal shown by Bale, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio made it clear that Ronaldo’s scoring touch is crucially important, and although the decision to replace him perhaps backfired for this game, it looks very wise from a long-term perspective.
Griezmann shines…in final Madrid derby?
Ronaldo’s goal was sharply cancelled out by a poacher’s strike from Antoine Griezmann, and that was a fair reward for another industrious and sure-footed display from the Frenchman, who added a touch of class to an otherwise mundane Atletico attacking performance.
One of the biggest developing stories in the transfer market over the next few months is Barcelona’s pursuit of Griezmann as a short-term partner and long-term replacement for Luis Suarez, and his habit of scoring against Real – he has now netted on his last three league trips to the Bernabeu – certainly won’t harm his prospects of a big-money move.
If the anticipated transfer does materialise, this game will prove to have been Griezmann’s last Madrid derby, and it was an occasion which showed exactly why a move to Camp Nou would appeal as he regularly found himself let down by his team-mates’ lack of killer touch.
In particular, Griezmann produced a moment of magic to perfectly cushion a high dropping ball inside the box and then roll a square pass across the face of goal, but Angel Correa hadn’t read his intentions and couldn’t reach the cross. It’s hard to imagine that Suarez or Lionel Messi would have failed to take full advantage from that position, and Griezmann must be regularly left frustrated that his colleagues often fail to reach his own high standards. Maybe not for much longer.
Barca on course for Clasico celebration?
It’s easy to conclude that this particular Madrid derby was won by Barcelona, whose 3-1 victory over Leganes on Saturday has allowed them to stretch their lead at the top of the table to 11 points.
For Barca fans, the most appealing prospect is that their team could become mathematically certain of taking the title in the forthcoming Clasico against Real at Camp Nou on Sunday 5 May. If the current leaders win their next three games – against Valencia, Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna – and then defeat Real early next month, La Liga’s crown would be returning to Catalonia.
Of course, a similar scenario was available in the Premier League this weekend, but Manchester City blew their big chance of securing the title against hated rivals Manchester United. If Barcelona get a similar chance and take it, the celebrations would be heard on Mars.
