The Super Copa 1st leg between the two behemoths made the Community Shield seem glacial in comparison.
This is it, the two best clubs in the world going mano e mano. Within all the histrionics and the grandstanding was a heads up play by Karim Benzema resulting in a Mesut Oezil goal followed by a gem of an equalizer by David Villa. A gangbusting effort by Leo Messi put Barca ahead but a sweet Xabi Alonso strike restored parity. The amount of high wattage talent on display was enough to power a small country. The body count was high with several Barca players crumpled up at various points of time at various parts of the pitch nursing clipped ankles.
There was even a repeat of the permanently unhinged Pepe tangling with Dani Alves yet again. The Barca players surrounded the referee demanding retribution. Pepe slunk away awaiting his fate with a worried look. To his relief there was no red card which ended his CL semi-finals last season. In fact, he played a part in the Alonso equalizer and thereafter, controlled his psychopathic urges to a large extent. One of the scariest moments was Sami Khedira going kung fu style on Eric Abidal. Luckily, it only resulted in a glancing blow to the head which left the defender stunned for a few minutes.
Messi recorded his 11th goal against Real while Cristiano Ronaldo once again drew a blank. The 2-2 should be considered a win for Barca because they now go back to the Camp Nou putting pressure on the Merengues to score at least two goals.