El Clasico: Sergio Ramos rescues a point for Real Madrid (Video)
By David Rouben
Just when it looked like Barcelona were about to grab a crucial win over Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos headed home a free kick to save a point.
Against all odds, Real Madrid were able to secure a draw over Barcelona and keep their unbeaten streak alive. While they were the better team in the first half, Barcelona controlled the second. Luis Suarez broke the deadlock, and they were creating chances at will once Andres Iniesta came off the bench. But in the end, Madrid can thank the person who has saved them on so many occasions: Sergio Ramos.
Ramos may be a central defender, but he’s had a knack for scoring in big games — like Madrid’s last two Champions League finals. But once Barcelona went up, Real were playing for the draw. Both goals in this game came off of set pieces, and Ramos was the one who headed in Luka Modric’s delivery off of a free-kick:
Real Madrid may have been unbeaten coming in to this game, but Barcelona knew they had to get a win. They were facing a Madrid team that was absent Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos, and were playing at home. While Barca were fortunate not to be behind after the first half, they should’ve closed the game out in the second.
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Instead, Real remain six points clear of their rivals. While these teams always try to win when they play each other, you would think that Madrid will take the draw on this occasion. Barcelona’s next chance to make up this game won’t come until April when they meet at the Bernabeu, so until then, they have very little margin for error. At the same time, Real need to keep putting in these strong displays without Bale.