Ecstasy!  Agony!  Strength!  Will!  Speed!  Tension!  Desire!  Drama!  Controversy!  But over-hyped?  I don’t think so.  The beautiful game’s biggest rivalry didn’t disappoint in Round 1 of the Spanish Super Cup.  As Placido Domingo rang throughout the Santiago Bernabéu before the start of the game, one couldn’t help but smile knowing what was likely to come.

Both teams fielded strong starting lineups.  On paper, Real Madrid appeared to have the advantage due to injuries on Barcelona’s part.  Madrid’s starting eleven was a lineup that one would suspect will be José Mourinho’s core:  Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Mesut Özil, Ángel Di María, Marcelo, Sami Khedira, Pepe, Carvalho, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas.  Barcelona had to leave Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol on the sidelines to start.  Regardless, they brought some heat with them:  Lionel Messi, David Villa, Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta, Eric Abidal, Seydou Keita, Javier Mascherano, Victor Valdes, Adriano, Alexis Sánchez and Thiago Alcântara.

It took less than 2 minutes for Benzema to show why he was the top goal scorer in the preseason.  Abidal’s body was the only barrier between the Frenchman’s strike and the back of Barcelona’s net.  Uncharacteristic missed passes and poor timing by Barcelona gave Madrid an edge in possession and a pass from Ronaldo to Benzema created another golden chance for Los Blancos in the 8^th minute.  An alert Valdes kept the ball out, but if Benzema’s header had a fraction more pace and accuracy, he would have opened the scoring for Madrid.  A follow up corner gave Ramos a chance at finding the back of the net, but a deflection off Mascherano kept another strong strike out.  In the 12^th minute, however, a steal by Ramos and a pass to Di María sprung Benzema, and some fancy footwork against Abidal combined with a perfect pass to Özil finally sealed the deal.  Madrid was on the scoreboard first.

At the 20 minute mark Barcelona fans were beginning to wonder if Villa and Messi were even on the pitch.  The look on Pep Guardiola’s face confirmed suspicions that he was concerned about the dominance by Real Madrid at the start of the game.  A quick flash of brilliance at the 25^th minute reminded us all how quickly Barcelona can land a blow.  A pass from Messi to Villa gave the fans a gasp-worthy perfect strike and the game was level.  Iker Casillas may have seen it coming, but was powerless to stop it.  El Clásico was on!

Although Madrid continued their dominance of possession, Barcelona’s goal caused a shift in momentum.  A foul by Marcelo (and a subsequent lapse in defense by Khedira and Pepe) and Messi made them pay.  Casillas and Messi, two of the best in the world, went one on one and Casillas would blink first.  Barcelona would take the lead, only moments before the half.

The teams came out fighting in the second half.  Barcelona was looking to increase their lead and Madrid was looking to shut them down and retake control.  Fouls increased exponentially and questions were raised with every touch.  Was it a foul or a dive?  Intentional or not?  Only the players themselves know.  With every minute that passed, the game intensified.  In the 52^nd minute, only strong defending by Alves could match the speed of Ronaldo and a corner was given to Madrid.  During the resulting play, awareness by Pepe led to a stellar strike by Xabi Alonso past multiple defenders to tie the game up.

Anyone not paying attention in the first half was awake by the 54^th minute.  A yellow for a hand ball on Barcelona, a free kick by Xabi Alonso that Valdes missed entirely (and was lucky to not see it find the back of the net) followed by a strong foul by Pepe against Alves and this “preseason friendly” competition became a real battle.

Chances would be close (really close!), fouls would continue to be made and substitutions would occur:  Di María for Coenträo, Xavi for Thiago, Callejon for Khedira, Pique for Adriano, Higuain for Benzema, and Pedro for Villa, but when all was said and done, these two great teams found themselves level.  Man of the match would have to go to Mesut Özil, closely followed by Karim Benzema.  In a fierce battle, both worked tirelessly to create chances and score goals.  Against a weaker team or a less experienced keeper, we would have witnessed a complete rout by Real Madrid, but they weren’t playing a lesser team, they were playing their arch rivals.

Round 2 of the Spanish Super Cup coming up on Wednesday night will give everyone just enough time to catch their breath.  Advantage is with Barcelona playing at the Camp Nou, but as Sunday’s game evidenced, you can never discount either of these teams.  If Round 1 was any indication, Round 2 will be fierce.  According to Cristiano Ronaldo, “Wednesday will be an open game, but we are confident we can win.”  Regardless, someone will be delivering a knock out punch and lifting the trophy and it will be a spectacular match to watch.

A.J. Nelson can also be found on Twitter @FootieObsessed