El Clasico: Luis Suarez breaks the deadlock for Barcelona (Video)

Luis Suarez gave Barcelona a big advantage over Real Madrid in the second half of El Clasico, putting a header past Keylor Navas.

El Clasico is the biggest game in the world, and it’s always a momentous occasion when Barcelona and Real Madrid square off. But this year’s version had plenty of storylines to it. Real Madrid are one of only two unbeaten teams in Europe — could they keep that going even without Gareth Bale? Barcelona have also looked shaky in recent weeks, and drew against Real Sociedad in their last match — how would they respond?

For the first half, Real Madrid were in complete control. They dominated the chances, and didn’t give Barcelona an inch to operate. Lionel Messi was the only Barcelona player who looked effective, and many wondered when Neymar and Luis Suarez would show up. They were fortunate to get out of the half scoreless.

The second half was a different story, as Barcelona started to play with more purpose. They won a free-kick, and when Neymar played the ball in to the box, Luis Suarez got his head on it to open the deadlock:

While Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will always attract the most attention for their respective sides, Suarez and Gareth Bale have often been the most important players in El Clasico. In a game as tightly contested as this, Barcelona may only need this goal to get past Real Madrid.

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Unfortunately for Madrid, they will be missing Bale for a long period. That’s why Barca are hoping to capitalize on that injury and get back to the top of the La Liga table. They currently sit six points behind Real, and a win at Camp Nou would go a long way towards closing the gap. But with their second encounter coming in April, Bale should be back in the lineup, and will look to make a strong impact then.