10-man Barcelona holds off Real Madrid to earn point in wild Clasico

Barcelona's hopes of ending the season undefeated are still alive after earning a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid at the Camp Nou despite going down a man in the first half.

Luis Suarez traded goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, who was forced to leave at half-time with an apparent injury, in the opening 45 minutes before Lionel Messi's second-half goal was cancelled out by Gareth Bale with under 20 minutes remaining.

It was a match loaded with drama. The hosts were reduced to 10 men following Sergi Roberto's straight red card just before half-time after he appeared to take a swing at Real Madrid defender Marcelo, who fell to the ground holding his face.

That moment of madness was just one of many in an opening frame that saw Barcelona defender Jordi Alba put his hand around Luka Modric's throat. Later, Bale was lucky to escape punishment for his reckless challenge on Samuel Umtiti.

Even Messi struggled to hide his frustration. After Suarez was the victim of an apparent elbow from Sergio Ramos, Messi seemed to retaliate by delivering a heavy tackle on the Real Madrid defender.

However, the game's first 10 minutes offered a bit of mouthwatering football when Suarez got on the end of Roberto's cross and volleyed the ball beyond a helpless Keylor Navas.

Ronaldo brought Real Madrid level 10 minutes later with a close-range tap-in that left the Portuguese star worse for wear. As he lunged into the penalty area to meet Karim Benzema's cross, Gerard Pique's attempt to intercept appeared to catch Ronaldo's ankle.

With the Champions League final against Liverpool on the horizon, manager Zinedine Zidane replaced Ronaldo with Marco Asensio at the break.

The second half opened with Suarez and Messi teaming up to give Barca another lead, as the Argentine dribbled by a pair of Real Madrid defenders before unleashing a low shot into the back of the net.

Barcelona's advantage lasted 20 minutes before Bale, who'd been handed his second start since April 11, delivered a powerful one-timer from the top of the box that Marc-Andre ter Stegen had little chance of stopping.

The two teams failed to break the deadlock and finished level in a match that also marks the end of an era - Barcelona veteran Andres Iniesta competed in what could be his final Clasico after announcing this will be his final season with the Catalan side.

With three matches remaining, Barcelona needs to avoid losses against Villarreal, Levante, and Real Sociedad in order to become La Liga's first team to record an unbeaten season since the 1930s.

Meanwhile, third-place Real Madrid will focus its attention on capturing its third successive Champions League crown ahead of the final in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 26.