Real Madrid 2 - Barcelona 2

Real Madrid: Casillas; Michel Salgado, Hierro, Karanka, Roberto Carlos; Figo, Iván Helguera, Makelele, McManaman (Munitis 76'); Raúl, Morientes (Guti 60'). 4-4-2.
Barcelona: Reina; Gabri, Frank De Boer, Abelardo, Sergi; Guardiola (Xavi 81'), Cocu; Luis Enrique (Alfonso 69'), Rivaldo, Overmars (Gerard 84'); Kluivert. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Madrid: Makelele, McManaman, Morientes for Celades, Solari, Guti / Barcelona: Reiziger for Abelardo.

Goals:
1-0. 07. Raúl. Poked ball past Reina after Roberto Carlos long cross from left.
1-1. 36. Rivaldo. Rounded Casillas to score after pass from Luis Enrique.
2-1. 37. Raúl. On goal line as Reina deflected McManaman shot onto post.
2-2. 70. Rivaldo. Shot through a crowd of players into bottom corner of net.

After a build up of almost a month the biggest match of the sporting calendar in Spain finally came to a head, with an exciting match which ended in controversy over a late disallowed goal by Barcelona. The 'derby' games as they are referred to overshadow all other events, and even Spain's midweek friendly with England hardly merited a mention in the local sports papers. An injury to Barcelona's central defender Abelardo in that international match kept him out of this one, with Reiziger recovering from a virus to take his place alongside Frank De Boer. Just in case though Serra Ferrer brought youngster Cuadrado along as cover, although in the end he watched the match from the stands. Steve McManaman pulled out of the England side with a recurring injury, but he was fit for this game, as was Morientes, and the two started the match alongside Makelele, who was returning from a suspension.

After the treatment received by Luis Figo in the earlier game at the Nou Camp the Real Madrid fans gave the Barcelona players a hard time, with a cacophony of whistles as they came out and a hail of objects when they approached the touchline. The game started at a fast pace, with Kluivert shooting wide early on, and Madrid took the lead in the seventh minute through the ever-attentive Raúl, taking advantage to poke the ball through Reina's legs after Frank De Boer let a half hit cross from Roberto Carlos pass him by. The game swung from end to end, with the two teenage goalkeepers showing why they are keeping out their senior colleagues, Casillas saving from Overmars and Rivaldo and Reina stopping a shot from Figo. Halfway through the half McManaman put the best chance wide after Figo had set him up, and then Barcelona equalised, Rivaldo taking a through ball from Luis Enrique and rounding Casillas before sticking it in the net.

But before the few Barça fans had time to celebrate Madrid were back in the lead, Reina deflecting McManaman's shot from close range against the post and watching helplessly as Raúl got to the ball first as it ran across the goalmouth. By now Figo was switching wings, giving the inexperienced Gabri a nightmare on the left, and Morientes got on the end of one of his crosses only to see his low header go wide. Barcelona got a grip of the match after half time though, with Casillas tipping a shot from Guardiola over the bar and Hierro taking the ball off Kluivert's toe as he was preparing to shoot. Then Rivaldo levelled the scores again with his second of the night, catching Casillas off guard with a shot through a ruck of players.

With so much at stake the game started to become scrappy, with clashes between Roberto Carlos and Rivaldo and Hierro and Kluivert threatening to turn into something nastier. Both teams went close, with Raúl failing to connect with a corner from the left and Casillas saving from substitute Gerard. And then came the talking point of the match, a Rivaldo shot from outside of the area which Iván Helguera touched past his own keeper. The Barça players leapt up with delight, only to see that the linesman was waving his flag, either for the positional offside of three Barcelona players or because he thought that the touch-on was by a Barça player. Referee Losantos Omar immediately reacted disallowing the goal and was surrounded by the visiting players, with Sergi picking up a booking for his pains. The game ended soon afterwards but the debates will go on long into the week and beyond, as Barcelona controversial president Joan Gaspart said that he felt that the referee had just stolen his wallet, and that something more sinister was behind the decision. Most of the press, including the Madrid papers, said that the goal was probably valid, but the fact remains that the draw leaves the league closer than ever in Madrid's favour, and with Deportivo losing to Mallorca they are now five points clear at the top and nine ahead of fourth placed Barcelona. The show must go on.