BARCELONA’s heated El Clasico draw with Real Madrid leaves the Catalan club with a “positive feeling” according to Andres Iniesta.
BARCELONA’s heated El Clasico draw with Real Madrid leaves the Catalan club with a “positive feeling” according to Andres Iniesta.
Barca were twice pegged back with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi’s goals in either half cancelled out by equalisers from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in an eventful clash.
The meeting of the La Liga heavyweights was littered with talking points, including the performance of referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez.
The 35-year-old match official sent off Sergi Roberto shortly before half-time but allowed Suarez to get away with a foul in the build-up to Messi’s goal and appeared to miss a clear penalty when Jordi Alba hacked down Marcelo in the box.
Barca clung to a draw despite playing half of the game a man down, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s half-time withdrawal with an ankle strain undoubtedly helpful.
And the point means their hopes of going an entire league season unbeaten remain intact with three games to go, their Nou Camp stalemate extending their undefeated streak to 42 league games - which Iniesta believes is a huge positive.
"Clasicos are like that, they are intense matches," the 33-year-old said of the game’s various flashpoints after his final ever meeting with Real Madrid.
"Even though we weren't playing for anything, these matches are different and special. I enjoyed it.
"Both teams tried to get the victory, but the draw leaves us with a good taste in our mouth.
"We managed to avoid defeat after playing a lot of the match with one less player,” he confirmed.
"This is a positive, we leave the match with a positive feeling. We can now focus on the challenge of finishing the league season without losing."
COMMENTS