Cristiano Ronaldo struck late to give 10-man Real Madrid a 2-1 win victory and end Barcelona’s 39-game unbeaten run in a tense Clasico at the Nou Camp that was overshadowed by controversial decisions from referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez.
Gerard Pique headed home from a corner to give Barcelona a deserved lead on 56 minutes but Karim Benzema’s acrobatic volley levelled for the home side, who were fortunate to not concede a penalty in the first half.
Referee Hernandez also refrained from presenting Madrid captain Sergio Ramos a second yellow card in the second half, although he eventually showed the 30-year-old a red card in the 83rd minute.
But Barcelona failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage and fell behind in the 85th minute when Ronaldo chested down a high cross from Gareth Bale to fire in at the near post.
Barcelona stay top of La Liga on 76 points, seven ahead of Madrid.