The quiet yet deadly Argentinian grew in frustration as the usual bully-boy tactics that confront him around the depths of La Liga found him on the grandest of stages and against the grandest of opponents.

He revealed himself to be human by retorting after being hacked at yet again. Lashing the ball into the partisan Madrid crowd, whose faces were contorted in anger and disdain for the man that walked on water to help his side beat Los Blancos 5-0 earlier in the season, a performance described as one of the greatest ever.

Cue the waving of imaginary cards.

Jose Mourinho brandished an imaginary red when Marcelo tumbled over a seemingly innocuous Dani Alves tackle for Madrid’s late penalty after seeing Raul Albiol sent to the stands. The Brazilian full-back had shown off his own unseemly side by waving his own invisible discipline earlier in the game.

This was just the tip of the iceberg in a game which promised a festival of football but only delivered a 10-year-old’s birthday party, with petty squabbles and tantrums to suit.

Most of the blame must be attached to a Real Madrid side not so intent on winning the game as not not losing. For Jose Mourinho, Barcelona represent his one obstacle on his road to unbridled greatness, and having had his fingers burnt badly by Pep Guardiola’s men before, would not be caught out twice.

Their spoiling tactics revolved mainly around keeping Messi on the periphery game, while keeping the ball away from the centre of the park and out of the reach of the creatively destructive Barcelona midfield.

The special one was reduced to commoner’s tactics to stop Barcelona’s dangerously beautiful football sweeping them aside once more.

Marcelo and Pepe proved to be the chief protagonists on a night where the La Liga title surely slipped from Mourinho’s grasp once more.  The aggravating pair were never shy of letting their opinions felt, both to the referee with exaggerated hand gestures and to Barcelona with a series of late niggly tackles. The irony of their lament towards Messi as he vented his frustrations seemed lost in the Madrid night air.

Christiano Ronaldo came to symbolise all that was wrong with the game as he arched his back and preened all over the Santiago Bernabeu with little effect but plenty of petulant anger. His well taken penalty proved to be the highlight on a night where both he and Messi were secondary figures when they should have lived up to their top billing.

Barcelona tried to make the game easy on the eye. Xavi and Iniesta as ever clipped delightful balls for David Villa to latch onto, but the former Valencia man could only offer more proof that this is a poor time of year for Spanish strikers. But in truth the Catalan club seemed only a parody of themselves as they passed passed passed in the middle of the pitch without any sense of urgency.

Real Madrid may take the brunt of the blame for the lack of spectacle, but Barcelona had the ability to change it, and refused.

This was a game that left a bitter taste in the mouth; Suddenly the prospect of three more Classico derbies to come doesn’t raise as much of a smile as it did last year; this is not what the world tuned in to watch live football for.

Jose Mourinho must now take a look in the mirror. The effervescent Portuguese manager will rightly suggest he set his side up in a similar manner when he defeated Barcelona during his time at Inter Milan, and what more can he do against one of the greatest sides to have played the game? You are the man who needs to find answers, and quick, Jose, it is you that passed up an opportunity to haul Real Madrid back into the title fight.

Reputations as the world’s best side are hard won and easily lost. Real Madrid cannot fear their league rivals; Mourinho cannot fear his opponents, but the evidence was damning on a disappointing night in the Spanish capital. Talk of the referee or of red cards and penalties should not be allowed to distract and Madrid must change their approach for both theirs, and our benefit.