Ronaldo swoops as Carlos loses plot
Monday April 03 2006
Real Madrid 1
Andy Mitten
RONALDO silenced the Barcelona boo boys with a superbly taken equaliser as Real Madrid came from behind to earn a draw at the Nou Camp, despite being reduced to ten men when Roberto Carlos was sent off in the 24th minute.
Barca lead their great rivals by 11 points with seven league games to play, but their performance lacked the cohesion of the vintage display they produced to win 3-0 at the Bernabeau last November.
Since that game, Barca fans have regularly gloated about their current pre-eminence, the intensity of their dislike of all things Madrid evident when the visitors' team bus was pelted with cans and bottles approaching the stadium.
The response of some Madrid players - that of raising a solitary finger to their detractors - hardly quelled the febrile invective.
Fortuitously, most of the Barca fans were less aggressive, content to hold up cards to form a giant mosaic reading 'Forever Barca' before the game.
The Catalans enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, Mark van Bommel striking wide after three minutes following a through ball from Ronaldinho.
The world's best player then gave Barca the lead when midfielder van Bommel went down easily following a tackle by Roberto Carlos in the 21st minute.
Ronaldinho converted the penalty, his seventh of the season, whilst compatriot Carlos was booked for protesting against the decision.
He was sent off just three minutes later, the red mist again evident as he complained following a challenge on Henrik Larsson.
"The sending off was an overly harsh decision and that made it particularly difficult for us," said team-mate Ronaldo, who was frequently taunted with chants of "Fatty, fatty".
"Roberto told me he had done nothing to offend the referee. The referees seem to be against us, blowing for non-existent penalties and free kicks. With ten players, we had to struggle for our lives."
It may have been a struggle, but after sacrificing Robinho for defender Alvaro Mejia, a more defensive Madrid covered space and closed down Barca's attacks efficiently.
Zinedine Zidane is a Rolls-Royce of a player running on his last drops of petrol, but he helped stem the surging Barca attacks, whilst goalkeeper Iker Casillas produced several fine saves. The only injustice about Madrid's equaliser was that it came against the run of play.
Ronaldo ran onto a clever through ball from Julio Baptista nine minutes before the break, Madrid's top scorer holding off the Barca defence before lifting the ball beautifully past Victor Valdes. Ronaldo's detractors in the 97,900 crowd were silenced, the celebrations of the Madrid players audible from the third tier.
The goal and the loss of versatile defender Thiago Motta with a groin strain just before half time broke Barca's momentum. As expected, Barca attacked in the second half, Samuel Eto'o hitting the outside of the post a minute after the break. Larsson then had a chance to restore Barca's lead after he was put through with just Casillas to beat. The goalkeeper stood firm, however, diverting the Swede's attempted lob wide.
Larsson, playing in his last 'clasico' before his summer move to Sweden, then narrowly missed out on immortality in Catalonia when his header from a Juliano Belletti cross in injury time flashed painfully wide. (© Independent News Service)
