Summary Barcelona beat fierce rival Real Madrid 2-1 at Camp Nou in the Spanish league on Saturday.
BARCELONA (AP) - Neymar scored in his first clasico and set up Alexis Sanchez for an exquisite decider as Barcelona beat fierce rival Real Madrid 2-1 at Camp Nou in the Spanish league on Saturday.
With Lionel Messi oddly quiet, Neymar opened in the 19th minute from close range after receiving Andres Iniesta s pass as the Brazil striker outshone fellow newcomer and adversary Gareth Bale.
"Scoring a goal in a clasico is very special," Neymar said. "It s a game that everyone wants to play. It was like a dream come true."
While Neymar has lived up to his 57-million-euro transfer this summer, questions over the wisdom of Madrid s 100 million euros payout for Bale will continue after he failed to produce a shot on goal before being replaced by Karim Benzema with half an hour to go.
Benzema went on to hit the woodwork as Madrid threatened to equalize before Alexis took Neymar s pass and sealed the victory in the 78th with a brilliant chipped shot.
Substitute Jese Rodriguez got Madrid s consolation goal in injury time after a lightning counterattack.
Neymar followed in the footsteps of former Brazilian standouts Romario and Rivaldo, who scored in their first matches for the Catalan club against Madrid. And his playmaking echoed Ronaldinho s assist in his first clasico.
Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino, also making his clasico debut, was careful not to overpraise Neymar, while also giving credit to Messi for his work in defense.
"The transcendence of this game and the goal he scored magnified the level of his performance," Martino said about Neymar. "But I think he has had better games than tonight. As far as what (Messi) did for the team to recover the ball, I give him a superlative mark."
Also, Celta emphatically broke a four-game losing streak with a 5-0 rout at Malaga. Levante rolled to a 3-0 win at home over Espanyol, and Granada won 1-0 at Elche.
Madrid had improved in its recent visits to Camp Nou, including a 3-1 win in the Copa del Rey last February, but Barcelona restored its home dominance over its traditional rival for the league crown.
The victory was Barcelona s ninth to go with one lone draw in the league this season, lifting it a provisional four points clear of Atletico Madrid which hosts Real Betis on Sunday.
Madrid was left a full six points adrift of the pacesetters and with reawakened doubts over the direction of the team under new coach Carlo Ancelotti after losses to both of its league challengers. It lost 1-0 to Atletico last month.
