Barcelona, Apr 2 (EFE; betting context by IDSca.com).– Real Madrid stunned FC Barcelona with a strong late finish to Saturday’s Clasico, getting a pair of goals over the last half hour of the match to defeat its arch-rival 2-1 at Camp Nou.

Barça had hoped the match would be a fitting tribute to Johan Cruyff, a legendary Dutch player and manager who passed away on March 24 and is credited with introducing the attractive short passing, ball-possession game that the Catalan club is known for around the world.

The fans at Camp Nou paid their respects and expressed their thanks to Cruyff – who starred for Barcelona as a player in the mid 1970s and coached the club between 1988 and 1996 – with a 90,000-piece mosaic in the stands.

But on the field the hosts were a shadow of themselves on Saturday, unable to find fluidity in midfield or pull off any magic with their trio of super-strikers, suffering their first defeat in 40 matches in the process.

The Blancos refused to allow their opponent any room to operate in midfield, pushing their defenders forward and not allowing Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets to control the action.

Zinedine Zidane‘s men also were very sound and organized in defense, stymieing Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar by not giving them any clear opening.

Yet, despite Barça’s struggles, the home side managed to strike first with an atypical goal – a Gerard Pique header off a corner kick in the 56th minute – and appeared on its way to victory.

That sensation was very short-lived, however, as Toni Kroos lofted a ball up in the penalty area for Karim Benzema, who took it out of the air and booted it home to tie the contest in the 63rd minute.

The Blancos had the momentum on their side but appeared to lose any chance at victory when captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for a second yellow card after a reckless tackle on Suarez with seven minutes remaining.

Yet despite playing a man down, Real Madrid mounted a counterattack in the 84th minute that ended with Cristiano Ronaldo controlling the ball off his chest and firing a hard shot under the legs of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo for the win.

One of the highlights of the match was goalkeeper Keylor Navas from Costa Rica, who blocked spectacular shots on goal by Rakitic and Messi. The Argentinian great was left mouth agape after Navas flew out to the right goalpost and deflected a shot that would have surely evened the score.

In March, Pay-Per-Head leader IDSca.com, based in Costa Rica, reported odds in favor of Barcelona at 8/15, with Real Madrid at 17/4 and a draw at 7/2. Bettors who placed wagers on the Real Madrid at sportsbooks in Costa Rica saw a nice payday.

Afterward, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane spoke about the club’s slim chances of catching Barça with just seven games remaining in the La Liga season.

“We have to pass Atletico de Madrid … and then we’ll see. There are games left and we’ll have to see what happens. It’s a huge prize for the players, they played a great match,” Zidane said.

Despite the loss, Barcelona still sits atop the La Liga standings with 76 points, six ahead of Atleti and seven clear of Real Madrid.

All three teams also are still alive in this season’s Champions League tournament. EFE