Real Madrid have one hand on a first La Liga trophy in four years after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant winner in a 2-1 victory at Barcelona on Saturday that stretched their lead over their bitter rivals to seven points with four games left.
On a dramatic, rain-lashed night at the Nou Camp, the Portuguese forwards 73rd-minute strike from Mesut Ozils superb assist secured the win his coach and compatriot Jose Mourinho had sought in vain in eight previous trips to Barcas imposing arena during his otherwise glittering career.
It was Reals first success in eight La Liga Clasicos - four of them before Mourinho arrived from Inter Milan - and gives them a timely boost for Wednesdays Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Bayern Munich, when they will seek to overturn a 2-1 deficit.
We have struck a very significant blow but its not yet decisive, Real midfielder Xabi Alonso said in an interview with Spanish television.
Of course its an important step towards the title but now we have to see it home, added the Spain international.
Cristianos goal, coming straight after they levelled, broke their stride and that was fundamental.
We controlled the match perfectly. It was a great performance, a fantastic result and I am very happy. Now we have another key match on Wednesday.
Barca, by contrast, need to regroup after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time in almost three years following Saturdays reverse and a 1-0 loss at Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola, whose only defeat in 14 previous Clasicos as Barca coach was in last years Kings Cup final, may also have his tactics questioned after he left Alexis Sanchez, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro out of his starting line-up.
Sanchez came off the bench to snatch a 70th-minute equaliser after a rare Sami Khedira goal had given Real an early lead, while a toothless Barca could have done with Fabregas creativity and eye for goal much earlier than the 80th minute.
TITLE CONCEDED
Guardiola opened his news conference by conceding his bid to lead Barca to a fourth straight La Liga crown had failed.
I congratulate Real Madrid on their victory and on the league title, the former Barca and Spain midfielder said.
Right now the players are tired and sad and I cant say if there will be a psychological effect for the Chelsea game, he added.
We will try to find a way to attack Chelsea but now we have to rest and recover and try to forget tonights game as quickly as possible.
As the two teams walked out for a match watched by hundreds of millions around the world, close to 100,000 home fans transformed the stadium into a giant mosaic in the blue and red colours of the club and the yellow and red of Catalonia.
Som i serem (We are and we will be) was picked out in yellow on one side of the arena as the home support bellowed the club anthem El Cant del Barca.
Guardiola deployed an attacking formation with only three defenders and featuring the surprise inclusion of pacy 20-year-old B-team winger Cristian Tello.
Mourinho fielded the same starting 11 as he did on Tuesday, when Real were beaten 2-1 at Bayern Munich, with Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and the excellent Ozil looking to catch Barca on the break.
SHARP REACTION
Real, who also set a new record of 109 goals scored in a league season, were ahead when Khedira was sharpest to react after Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes could not gather the ball after a corner and the Germany midfielder bundled it over the line.
Barca had started nervously and lacked their usual fluidity, and once Real were ahead they defended solidly and rarely looked like conceding as Barca stroked the ball around on the slick surface without real penetration.
The noise volume inside the giant arena rose after substitute Sanchez finally scrambled the ball in for the equaliser but the home fans were silenced three minutes later.
Ozils superb pass released Ronaldo in space on the right and he took the ball wide before smashing it home.
The goal, extending his La Liga record tally for the season to 42, was the best response to critics who accuse the Portuguese of flopping in big games. He is now one goal ahead of Barca forward Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring chart.
Messi tried desperately to breach the Real defence but was thwarted again and again and cut a forlorn figure at the end of the game as the Real players celebrated wildly nearby.
As well as virtually wrapping up the title, Reals win ended Barcas 11-match winning streak in the league and inflicted a first defeat on the Catalans in 35 league matches at the Nou Camp and in 55 home games in all competitions.
Mourinho, who again declined to speak to the media, will now be relishing a potential crack at his old club in next months Champions League final in Munich.
