Lionel Messi hasn't been at his best today, but he's just worked a piece of magic to give Barcelona a 2-1 lead at the Santiago Bernabeu. The visitors' number ten managed to draw no less than seven players inside to challenge him, and, somehow spotting the run of left back Eric Abidal through a crowd of bodies, flicked a beautiful pass straight into the Frenchman's path, leaving him one-on-one with Iker Casillas. Abidal isn't fazed by the occasion, and calmly strokes the ball home at the far corner.
Real Madrid Vs. Barcelona, 2012 El Clasico: Eric Abidal Makes It 2-1 Barca
So that's not going to make Jose Mourinho very happy, despite a strong reaction from Real Madrid that should probably have seen one of Karim Benzema and Jose Callejon score after good work from Cristiano Ronaldo. His team's thrown away a 1-0 halftime lead and have less than ten minutes left to draw level. They're losing at home to Barcelona. Again.
For more on the two teams, check out Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid and FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes. We have live coverage of the match in our Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, 2012 El Clasico StoryStream.











