Real Madrid Vs. Barcelona, 2012 El Clasico: Ronaldo Strikes To Give Madrid Lead

Read More: Gonzalo Higuaín (F - Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (MIDFIELDER - Portugal), Jose Pinto (GOALKEEPER - Barcelona), Karim Benzema (F - France), Barcelona, Real Madrid

And so much for things being quiet. Cristiano Ronaldo, who blew a host of chances in the previous fixture between these two teams, has just put Real Madrid ahead of Barcelona! Pep Guardiola often talks about how poor his team are without the ball, and they certainly don't cover themselves in glory here, losing possession in midfield and allowing Karim Benzema to hit a long diagonal forward to his Portuguese teammate.

Ronaldo races clear of the defence and with Gonzalo Higuain an option in the centre, Jose Pinto refuses to commit to a shot and is take by surprise when the ball is blasted between his legs and into the back of the net for the game's opening goal. There's nearly an instant response from Barcelona with Andres Iniesta forcing a fine save from Iker Casillas, but the subsequent corner comes to nothing and it's 1-0 Madrid.

For more on the two teams, check out Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid and FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes. We'll have live coverage of the match in our Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, 2012 El Clasico StoryStream.