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Opinion
Alfredo RelañoThere was one winner from this El Clásico, the Premier League

There was one winner from this El Clásico, the Premier League

Update:

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

Over-hyped, underwhelming

Barcelona's Neymar runs with the ball past Real Madrid's Daniel Carvajal
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Barcelona's Neymar runs with the ball past Real Madrid's Daniel Carvajal

Some time after Saturday's El Clasico, a friend of mine and a Barça fan to boot made the observation that the clear winner of Saturday's game at Camp Nou was the Premier League. It has to be admitted that in the case of this particular Barça-Madrid head to head he's not wide off the mark. I hoped for more from the game, something that I'm sure is shared by all who spent the 90 minutes watching the match. We were all aware that the world was watching, which in itself is a source of pride, but by the same token when things don't go according to the script there is a feeling of disappointment and the sensation that maybe we over-hyped things too much.

LaLiga vs. Premier League

LaLiga competes directly with the English Premier League and decided to schedule El Clásico at the traditional time of Saturday's Premier League games which are widely viewed and massively followed in Asia. The game was given this time slot in an attempt to claw away viewers from English football and turn them on to the Spanish game. Sadly Saturday's game failed to entertain despite 18 of the world's 55 best players on display in Barcelona. In the end only Andres Iniesta's presence and drama provided by the last minute Sergio Ramos goal were the attractive elements during the discourse of the game. Even the match officiating left a lot to be desired.

Flat

BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 03: Cristiano Ronaldo (R) of Real Madrid CF controls the ball next to Andres Iniesta (L) of FC Barcelona during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at Camp Nou stadium on December 3, 2016 in Barcelona, Spa
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BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 03: Cristiano Ronaldo (R) of Real Madrid CF controls the ball next to Andres Iniesta (L) of FC Barcelona during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at Camp Nou stadium on December 3, 2016 in Barcelona, SpaAlex CaparrosGetty Images

We witnessed 20 bight minutes from Barça in the second period and that was it. Not even the introduction of the 360º camera angles could salvage the day and the only thing of note they offered was the affirmation that Carvajal appeared to have handled the ball despite previous repeats suggesting that he controlled the ball with his chest. There was less visual support to suggest that Mascherano upended Lucas Vázquez at the start of the game or Luis Suárez's shoves on Vazquez in the build-up to the opening goal. A grand piano is only as good as the pianist and Saturday's game was notable for it's lack entertaining football apart from a brief spell from Luis Enrique's side in the second half and the final late comeback from Madrid. Without a doubt, the winner on Saturday was the Premier League.