Real Madrid moved top of La Liga following a well-deserved victory over Barcelona in Saturday’s El Clasico at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.
Karim Benzema’s 13th-minute sleek flick, his ninth goal in seven games, and Toni Kroos’ 28th deflected get kick gave the host two-goal lead halftime.
After the break, Oscar Mingueza pulled one back for Barca, who continued to mount pressure on Zidane’s side as they got reduced to 10-men after Casemiro was shown a red card late in the game, but Real Madrid held and deservedly got all three points.
The win, Real Madrid’s third in a row, takes Real above city rivals Atletico Madrid because of their advantage from the head-to-head record, despite being level on points.
However, Atletico, who led La Liga by 10 points as of 31 January, can reclaim the top spot with a win at Real Betis on Sunday.
