Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona: Lionel Messi scores 500th goal for club in stoppage time to blow La Liga title race wide open and leave 10-man hosts stunned
- Brazilian Casemiro gave Real Madrid the lead in controversial circumstances after Sergio Ramos' cut-back
- Ivan Rakitic set up Lionel Messi to surpass Alfredo Di Stefano and become the all-time top scorer in El Clasico
- Rakitic then blasted Barcelona in front with an unstoppable drive after 73 minutes for his first goal of season
- Ramos was given a straight red card for foul on Messi after 77 minutes; the 22nd dismissal of his career
- James Rodriguez then looked to have rescued a point with another poacher's goal after 85 minutes
- Messi's last-minute strike gave Barcelona a dramatic victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu
- Barcelona moved level at the top of the table with them now holding a better head-to-head against their rivals
Bruised, bloodied but not beaten, Lionel Messi won the Clasico for Barcelona with the last kick of an extraordinary five-goal thriller.
He ripped his shirt off and held it up to the north goal of the Santiago Bernabeu on the final whistle that came seconds after his shot hit the back of Keylor Navas' net. Even by his standards this had been a remarkable performance.
Still sporting a black eye from the Champions League exit against Juventus last week and cut early-on by a flailing Marcelo elbow, he had a bloodied towel in his hand when he scored Barcelona's first goal to cancel out Casemiro's opener.
Lionel Messi scored last-minute winner to breathe fresh life into Barcelona's La Liga title challenge at the home of Real Madrid
Messi was booked for removing his shirt and showing it to the Real Madrid fans after his brilliant match-winner on Sunday
Jordi Alba's pull-back from the left was stroked with aplomb into the bottom corner by Messi in the dying seconds of the game
It looked like substitute James Rodriguez had come on to rescue a point for Zinedine Zidane's side with five minutes to go
Ivan Rakitic scored to give Barcelona a 2-1 lead in the second half long before the late drama unfolded in the Spanish capital
Messi is now the all-time top-scorer in El Clasico in La Liga (16), surpassing Alfredo Di Stefano (14) after his first strike
Casemiro celebrates his strike which was richly deserved after it was Madrid who made the brighter start to proceedings
Sergio Ramos received the 22nd red card of his Real Madrid career and his fifth in El Clasicos after a poor challenge on Messi
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta posted this picture of the jubilant team on his Twitter following their thrilling victory
Ivan Rakitic then put Barcelona ahead and when Sergio Ramos was sent off for trying to scythe down, who else but Messi, Barca just had to see out time.
But James Rodriguez turned in Marcelo's cross with five minutes left and it seemed all of Messi's blood and sweat would end in tears.
He was not to be denied however, and firing the last bullet in the barrel he made it 3-2 and sent Barcelona top of the league with five games left.
'I think it's his 500th goal so imagine that – scoring it in the Bernabeu in the 92nd minute,' said Luis Enrique.
The drained Barcelona coach was asked if he had given up hope when Real Madrid equalised so late in the game or if he had learned to expect anything from a rollercoaster season.
He had seen Barca thumped 3-0 and 4-0 by Juventus and PSG in Europe but also win 6-1 against the French side, scoring three goals in the last five minutes.
He said: 'So many good things have happened this season, and so many bad things too, and things that I can't even remember.
'It was a terrible time to concede but then we go and get the goal with the last kick and there is no better time to score.'
Messi came into the game without a goal in his last six Clasicos but he was fired-up and drew an early yellow card for Casemiro. He then ran into Marcelo's raised elbow; cutting his mouth.
Real Madrid fans arrived at the Bernabeu with the belief that victory would put them on the brink of the La Liga title
Barcelona's out-going manager Luis Enrique greets his opposite number Zinedine Zidane prior to kick-off in El Clasico
Former Real Madrid players Ronaldo and Luis Figo were among the stars to attend the potentially title-deciding match
The match was screened in the northern city of Thessaloniki in Greece where refugees were able to enjoy the encounter
Messi received a nasty blow to the face in an accidental collision with Marcelo in the first half which left him bloodied
Barcelona medical staff had to tend to the Argentine's mouth and he was given a tissue to wipe away the blood from his face
Luka Modric holds off Messi, who was forced to keep the tissue in his mouth for a period of time after the blow to his face
Barcelona have moved to the top of La Liga courtesy of their last-gasp win over Real, who have a game in hand over their rivals
He was patched-up on the pitch and comically so was Marcelo who trotted across to the sideline to get his elbow treated.
Despite Messi taking the game to Real Madrid it was the home side who scored first. Toni Kroos' corner kick was cleared by Gerard Pique but straight to Marcelo. He dinked it over the top for Ramos whose shot came back off a post for Casemiro to score.
The fear pre-game was that if Barcelona went behind they would fall apart. Messi had other ideas. He took a pass from Rakitic, dropped a shoulder and darted past Dani Carvajal before driving his shot low under Navas' dive.
Having conceded a goal, Madrid then lost a player with Gareth Bale going down feeling his troublesome calf and replaced by Marco Asensio.
Casemiro was a very unlikely scorer for Real Madrid after he was the right man in the right place to stroke home the opener
The Madrid players celebrate after the referee deemed Ramos was not in an offside position for his cut-back
While Messi was able to continue, Gareth Bale's evening was cut short after a recurrence of his calf strain in recent weeks
A visibly disappointed Bale hobbles off after 39 minutes and the Welshman was replaced by midfielder Marco Asensio
Messi wheels away in delight after his 30th La Liga goal of the season was taken with breathtaking composure in Madrid
Barcelona were without the suspended Neymar, but it was the familiar source of Messi who dragged them back into the game
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen takes a risk by taking his time on his clearance with Asensio for company
Rakitic fired in from the edge of the box to give Barcelona the lead leaving Keylor Navas with little chance of saving it
Casemiro then brought down Messi and it should have been a second yellow. Somehow he escaped punishment and the incensed Messi continued his protest accompanying the referee to the tunnel after he blew for half-time.
The tempo never dropped in a second half when both Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Navas made a string of saves.
The latter could do nothing to stop Rakitic's perfect shot on 73 minutes however.
All Barcelona had to do now was hold-on and that was made a lot easier when Ramos flew into Messi with both feet off the ground and was shown a straight red.
He argued with Pique as he left the pitch and it was the Barcelona defender who then missed a glorious chance to make it three.
That miss looked costly when Rodriguez's goal made it 2-2 but Messi had not finished. He scored again to win the game and perhaps save Barcelona's season.
Karim Benzema looks to hold off Sergio Busquets but the Frenchman was once again a peripheral figure in a central role
Ramos was wild in leaving the ground to challenge Messi and could have few complaints about his latest sign of ill discipline
Colombian forward James was on hand at the far post to side-foot home what appeared to be his most important Real goal
Cristiano Ronaldo slams the pitch in frustration after missing a good chance - he was frustrated with team-mates throughout
Messi's brilliance has put Barcelona level on points with Real Madrid albeit having played a game more than their rivals
Andres Iniesta rolls past Daniel Carvajal during another supreme display from the Spaniard at the home of his bitter rivals
Ronaldo looks to put Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti under pressure - and the Frenchman was later booked
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4438088/Real-Madrid-2-3-Barcelona-Lionel-Messi-scores-500th-club-goal-stoppage-time-blow-La-Liga-title-race-wide-open-leave-10-man-hosts-stunned.html#ixzz4f85600u1
.jpg)
