Madrid earned the first corner kick of the match in the 19th minute. Mesut Özil sent the free kick in as Sergio Ramos came roaring in on a great run and got a free header on the ball. Ramos was off target though, sending the shot over the crossbar. You could almost hear an audible sigh of relief from the Camp Nou crowd.
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, 2012 El Clasico: Ronaldo fires Madrid to a 1-0 lead
After a solid opening few minutes from Barca, Madrid have definitely taken over control of the game. That doesn't mean Barca haven't been challenging, but a excellent combination of poor passing and pinpoint defending from Los Blancos have kept Barcelona at bay so far.
In the 23rd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo got free on the right hand side, and sent a lovely low shot between a diving Victor Valdes and the post. Nothing fancy, just great build-up work, terrible defending from Dani Alves and a textbook finish from Ronaldo. Valdes won't want to see tape on the goal either as he allowed himself to be beaten at the near post, something you never want to have happen.
Madrid should have scored minutes later after another defensive breakdown allowed Karim Benzima to get a shot on an open goal, but again he was off target.
See More:
