Ramos late show breaks Barca hearts
SERGIO RAMOS does it again. With Barcelona seconds away from a hard-fought Clasico win, he rose to head in a Luka Modric free-kick on 90 minutes to keep Real Madrid six points clear at the top of La Liga with an unbeaten run that now stretches back 33 games.
If it was typical Ramos to get a late leveller, it had been classic Luis Suarez when he put Barcelona ahead on 52 minutes. Like a bumper car in the six-yard box, he bounced off Lucas Vazquez and Raphael Varane before heading home Neymar’s free-kick.
Neymar should have doubled the lead when he went past Dani Carvajal in the area after being played in by Lionel Messi only to blaze over. He was then put through by Messi again and this time Ramos blocked.
Barcelona then paid for their failure to put the game to bed when Arda Turan tripped Marcelo and from Modric’s free kick Ramos did what he does best.
Real Madrid had the better of the first half with Cristiano Ronaldo missing several chances to break the deadlock.
The Portuguese trotted out before the game, a diamond stud in each ear, not looking too worried about the allegations that had broken in the previous 24 hours about his tax affairs.
Ronaldo was serenaded by some Barcelona supporters with chants of ‘come out of the closet’ for which the club is likely to be fined. La Liga is keen to clamp down on homophobia and will almost certainly take action. Despite the abuse, Ronaldo had been very lively late in the first half and Barcelona were glad to get down the tunnel still on level terms.
Real looked to have paid for not making the most of their chances when Suarez headed in only his second goal in the last six games. The Nou Camp erupted and Barcelona — inspired by Andres Iniesta — looked like seeing out time.
But Ramos got the last touch to stun the hosts, who missed out on the chance to cut Real’s lead to three points.