Crisis, what crisis? as Madrid put Barca to the sword in Clasico
LUKA ME: Real Madrid's Luka Modric celebrates scoring his side's third goal in La Liga' El Clasico at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
Real Madrid scored a psychologically vital Clasico victory as they defeated Barcelona behind closed doors at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
Uruguay's Federico Valverde smashed Madrid, coming off two losses, into the lead from Karim Benzema's pass. Barcelona's stellar talent Ansu Fati became the youngest goalscorer at 17 in El Clasico history to equalise but Sergio Ramos scored from the spot after he was fouled by Clement Lenglet and Luka Modric smashed in a late third.
The result takes Real top of the La Liga table with 13 points from six games, six points above Barcelona.
Madrid made the start they dreamed of when Karim Benzema drifted deep into the right channel and was allowed to turn, with the sprinting Valverde going beyond him.
Valverde pierced the gap before lifting a curved shot past Neto and into the far corner. Madrid celebrated as if their confidence had been reborn, but within three minutes, Barcelona were level.
Messi, from almost left-back, chipped a ball over the top freeing Jordi Alba who fired into the front post where Fati had nipped ahead of Ramos and turned in.
It was fast and open for the rest of the half, with Messi enjoying a golden spell. He glided past Casemiro and then swerved around Ramos, but onto his right foot, the finish stabbed into Thibaut Courtois at the near post.
Benzema should have scored too. Madrid finished the stronger before half-time but Barca were better after. Fati flashed just wide and Philippe Coutinho missed a free header at the back post.
Their momentum was checked by Lenglet's error, a tug in the box clear enough that Ramos' shirt was stretched, even if the fall was comically exaggerated. Referee Juan Martinez checked the monitor. Ramos found the corner.
Barca wanted a penalty themselves when Ramos booted a ball into team-mate Raphael Varane's arm, but this time there was no whistle.
Ramos and Valverde both could have made it three in the final minutes before substitute Modric did, finishing beautifully after Neto rushed out.
Meanwhile Ajax set a new Eredivisie record with a 13-0 away win at 10-man VVV-Venlo with Lassina Traore scoring five goals.
Jurgen Ekkelenkamp opened the scoring after 13 minutes before Traore hit a double and Dusan Tadic made it 4-0 at half-time. The home side saw defender Christian Kum shown a straight red card six minutes into the second half, with Ajax then scoring an incredible nine more goals.
Traore completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute, capitalising on a mistake by beleaguered Venlo goalkeeper Delano Van Crooy, with Brazilian forward Antony adding a sixth.
Ekkelenkamp got his second and then Daley Blind scored the eighth on the hour, with Traore making it 9-0 before substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice in the space of two minutes, one from a penalty.
The Amsterdam side soon had a 12th through Lisandro Martinez's long-range effort before Traore completed the rout with three minutes left.
Ajax's tally bettered their own previous record 12-1 victory over Vitesse in May 1972, and sent them back to the top of the table above PSV Eindhoven.
Neto, Dest, Pique, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Gonzalez, Busquets, de Jong, Coutinho, Fati, Messi.
: Courtois, Nacho, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Mendy, Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos, Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius Jnr
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