A trademark finish from Luis Suarez gave Barcelona a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in El Clasico Sunday to extend its lead at the top of La Liga to four points.
Suarez latched on to a perfect through ball from Dani Alves to beat Iker Casillas with a low shot on 56 minutes and a revitalized Barcelona might have added to its tally as it took control in the Nou Camp.
Jeremy Mathieu had given Barcelona a first half lead after he headed home Lionel Messi’s pin point free kick but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized soon afterwards for his 31st league goal of the season.
Ronaldo, who had hit the crossbar with an early chance, prodded home after a sublime backheel assist from Karim Benzema and his goal was the signal for a spell of dominance by the visitors.
Gareth Bale had the ball in the net but his effort was ruled out for a marginal offside and early in the second half the excellent Benzema forced a fine save from Claudio Bravo after a passing exchange with Ronaldo.
Suarez clincher
But Suarez, scoring his eighth goal in the last nine games, knocked the stuffing out of Real, who offered little threat after his decisive goal.
Neymar, who had been guilty of a glaring miss just after Mathieu’s opener, also showed further wastefulness after Suarez’s goal, taking the shine off a purposeful performance by the Brazilian.
Neither World Player of the Year Ronaldo, despite his goal, or Messi, despite his assist, was also at their best in a match which could well decide the outcome of the La Liga title.
With 10 games left of the season, Barcelona is now favorite to reclaim the crown, having won 18 of the last 19 games in a superlative run since defeat in the first El Clasico of the season in the Bernabeu.
Real will attempt to close the gap as well as defending the Champions League title, starting with a quarterfinal against city rival Atletico, the reigning La Liga champion.
