Five goals crown Barcelona kings of Spanish football. Mulham Assir reports from Madrid After much expectation, bringing the whole of Spain to a standstill for just under two hours of football frenzy, El Clasico turned out to be a beautiful 5-0 football exhibition by FC Barcelona and a humiliating defeat for Real Madrid. It was a purist's dream come true: this Barcelona team epitomises the beautiful game as a sublime art which condemns football's rigid tacticians and their mechanical approach. Five goals delighted the Camp Nou faithful as well as objective, non- partisan onlookers, of whom there were admittedly few considering the passions that this stand-off traditionally stirs. To a great measure, this was Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola's triumph over Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho, the artist versus the mechanic. When Guardiola announced a few days before the match that he would keep faith with his attacking football philosophy, some doubted whether this was a tactical ploy. But as the match showed, he actually lived up to his promise. Mourinho also was true to form as he had promised a tactical game where creativity on the field would give way to army-like formations and strategies. What we saw on Monday was just a reproduction of both managers' approaches: attacking footballers laying siege to tedious and as it turned out futile defensive strategies. The ease with which Barcelona kept possession of the ball, while continuously creating scoring opportunities, was masterful in as much as it was humiliating for their arch-rivals. As the match neared its end, it became obvious that the Real Madrid players were losing their nerves, as they committed foul after foul out of sheer frustration. What was also touted as a showdown between the world's two top players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, lifted the former to even greater heights. Messi summed up the team spirit brilliantly. The Argentine forward may not have scored his 14th league goal this season, but he gave a tremendous recital of teamwork by being heavily involved in almost all his team's attacking efforts. He also showed great spirit as he was constantly fouled by Madrid's players in a clear attempt to sideline him. Mourihno had mistakenly believed that by neutralising Messi, Barcelona would lose its attacking potential. What the Real Madrid coach failed to see was this Barcelona is the backbone of Spain's national team, winners of the World Cup 2010. Portugal's Ronaldo, on the other hand, appeared to suffer a classic Real Madrid syndrome where it has often been said that the club is the sum of expensive stars who do not play as a team. Madrid's cafes and bars, where thousands flocked to watch the game, hosted supporters of both teams. Despite the early snows in the Spanish capital, few could resist the call to watch La Liga's first important game of the season. One young Real Madrid supporter, 16-year-old Luis, burst into tears as substitute Jeffren Suarez scored the fifth goal less than five minutes after he had taken to the pitch. Barcelona supporters, who had much to celebrate, cheered gleefully, already proclaiming their team champions of the season. This is Real Madrid's first defeat under Mourinho, and although they are only two points behind Barcelona in the league table, they will have to show much improvement if they are to stand any chance of winning La Liga in June 2011. The Spanish media described this game as a victory of beautiful football over propaganda. The country's leading newspaper El Pais ran an article poetically describing the goals as autumn leaves falling over the pitch effortlessly. In a country where unemployment is rife, particularly amongst youth, football has traditionally taken centre stage among the population's priority interests. Barcelona will feel warmer over the next few days, at least until the next showdown with Real Madrid, set for 17 April next year.
