Enrique hails world-class Suarez in frantic Clasico
Uruguayan’s well-taken winner takes Barca four points clear at the top
Suarez bites Real: Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez slotted in a sublime winner against Real Madrid to give Barcelona the edge over their domestic rivals in the La Liga title race. PHOTO: AFP
BARCELONA:
A clinical finish from Luis Suarez gave Barcelona a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in a typically frantic 'Clasico' on Sunday as they stretched their lead over their rivals at the top of La Liga to four points.
While the personal battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo captured the attention before the game, it was Suarez who settled the Nou Camp contest with a deft touch and a deadly strike into the corner of the net after 55 minutes.
Barcelona went ahead when French defender Jeremy Mathieu headed home his first league goal for the Catalan club from a Messi free kick after 18 minutes.
Ronaldo had already hit the crossbar but made no mistake after 30 minutes when he slotted the ball past keeper Claudio Bravo following a delightful backflick by Karim Benzema.
Real pressed forward with Gareth Bale having a goal ruled out for offside and Benzema missing a golden chance before Suarez took his opportunity.
"It is my most important goal for Barca so far, it has an extra meaning given the opponents that it was against," said Suarez. "I tried to take advantage of the space between the defenders as quickly as possible to not give them time to react. Luckily it went in."
Barca boss Luis Enrique lauded the Uruguayan's quality and said that is why they splashed out a club record fee for the 28-year-old despite his chequered past.
"It is clear the goal is something very few players can do. That is why we signed him. We valued him because he is a player that makes the difference," said Enrique. "Ever since he arrived we have been very happy with his performances, his commitment and everything he does for the team."
Victory moves Barcelona onto 68 points from 28 games, four ahead of second-placed Real with 10 matches left.
Ancelotti under pressure
A third defeat in four games for Madrid sees coach Carlo Ancelotti come under increasing pressure to hold onto his job, but he insisted he had been encouraged by his side's performance for the first hour.
"We played a lot better until the second goal. After that it was very difficult," said the Italian. "In the first-half we played very well, we had control, were dangerous up front and solid at the back. We lacked a bit of a cool head to try and equalise rather than playing long balls."
And Ancelotti believes Madrid's title fight is far from over despite dropping eight points in their last four league games. "Four points is obviously an advantage for Barcelona,” he said. “[But] we won't give up, particularly because of the way we played in the first-half. We have to keep going to try and play like that for 90 minutes."
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A clinical finish from Luis Suarez gave Barcelona a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in a typically frantic 'Clasico' on Sunday as they stretched their lead over their rivals at the top of La Liga to four points.
While the personal battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo captured the attention before the game, it was Suarez who settled the Nou Camp contest with a deft touch and a deadly strike into the corner of the net after 55 minutes.
Barcelona went ahead when French defender Jeremy Mathieu headed home his first league goal for the Catalan club from a Messi free kick after 18 minutes.
Ronaldo had already hit the crossbar but made no mistake after 30 minutes when he slotted the ball past keeper Claudio Bravo following a delightful backflick by Karim Benzema.
Real pressed forward with Gareth Bale having a goal ruled out for offside and Benzema missing a golden chance before Suarez took his opportunity.
"It is my most important goal for Barca so far, it has an extra meaning given the opponents that it was against," said Suarez. "I tried to take advantage of the space between the defenders as quickly as possible to not give them time to react. Luckily it went in."
Barca boss Luis Enrique lauded the Uruguayan's quality and said that is why they splashed out a club record fee for the 28-year-old despite his chequered past.
"It is clear the goal is something very few players can do. That is why we signed him. We valued him because he is a player that makes the difference," said Enrique. "Ever since he arrived we have been very happy with his performances, his commitment and everything he does for the team."
Victory moves Barcelona onto 68 points from 28 games, four ahead of second-placed Real with 10 matches left.
Ancelotti under pressure
A third defeat in four games for Madrid sees coach Carlo Ancelotti come under increasing pressure to hold onto his job, but he insisted he had been encouraged by his side's performance for the first hour.
"We played a lot better until the second goal. After that it was very difficult," said the Italian. "In the first-half we played very well, we had control, were dangerous up front and solid at the back. We lacked a bit of a cool head to try and equalise rather than playing long balls."
And Ancelotti believes Madrid's title fight is far from over despite dropping eight points in their last four league games. "Four points is obviously an advantage for Barcelona,” he said. “[But] we won't give up, particularly because of the way we played in the first-half. We have to keep going to try and play like that for 90 minutes."
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.