Barcelona humbles Real Madrid behind dominant 1st half

An utterly commanding first-half display saw home side Real Madrid played off the pitch Saturday by the visitors, courtesy of goals by Barcelona standouts Neymar and Luis Suarez.

The 4-0 victory bulges table-topping Barca's cushion, while Real Madrid languishes six points behind its rivals in La Liga standings after a match where it was as poor as the away side was magical.

The floodgates burst open in the 11th minute, when Sergi Roberto dribbled toward the box unimpeded for 25 yards before placing a precise pass into the path of Suarez, who belted it with the outside of his right boot and beyond the reach of a lunging Keylor Navas.

The Catalans doubled their lead six minutes before the interval when Andres Iniesta's sublime turn and run in the midfield opened up two options, with the Spanish international opting for a streaking Neymar in lieu of Suarez being a fraction offside.

A heroic effort from Marcelo kept the scoreline at 2-0, when a cunning move from Neymar left Suarez with a near-open net. The Uruguay international fired a shot, only for the Brazilian full-back to clear it off the line with an acrobatic endeavor.

The dominant first half settled the result before the interval, as Rafa Benitez's men marched off the pitch noticeably disenchanted by the comprehensive nature of their futility.

Real showed more attacking impetus in the second half, marked by James Rodriguez's dazzling left-footed strike from outside the area in the 48th minute that was slapped wide by Claudio Bravo. But it was all for not.

Iniesta capped off a standout performance with a rocket strike minutes after the interval, when he played a give-and-go with Neymar, who backheeled a pass on the edge of the box before the sparsely maned playmaker scored his first on the campaign with a right-footed laser.

Unbelievably, it was Iniesta's maiden El Clasico goal, the first scored in the Spanish top flight by somebody not named Suarez or Neymar since Lionel Messi's brace in a 4-1 victory over Levante on Sept. 9.

The talismanic, pint-sized Argentine made an appearance in the 57th minute following two months sidelined with a knee injury, coming on for Ivan Rakitic to make the result even more laughable, with Barcelona dominating a storied encounter without the influence of the world's best player.

If there was any doubt the night was Barcelona's, Cristiano Ronaldo had a near-certain goal snuffed out in the 69th minute thanks to a dazzling save from Bravo.

A chorus of whistles expressed the mood at the Bernabeu, with Real supporters flocking for the exits in the 74th minute as Suarez slotted home his second to cement a one-sided result for the visitors.