article_snippet: Cristiano Ronaldo scored, which means Cristiano Ronaldo'll be going home happy despite the defeat.
article_snippet: That's Cristiano Ronaldo ninth goal in eight games at Camp Nou.
article_snippet: Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo's overall form is still shaky, but this performance from both team and star player, were improvements on some previous outings.
article_snippet: Lionel Messi meanwhile, while not Lionel Messi team's individually most impressive performer on this occasion, kept everything ticking over nicely.
article_snippet: Lionel Messi early nutmeg on Toni Kroos was cheeky, Lionel Messi assist for Jeremy Mathieu's goal delightful.
article_snippet: Lionel Messi dipped out of the game for a while but returned with a vengeance, creating several chances which the likes of Neymar should have taken.
article_snippet: Personal glory for Cristiano Ronaldo is all well and good, but Lionel Messi's contribution to the team helped made the difference.
article_snippet: Cristiano Ronaldo equalised for Real Madrid against Barcelona and played well on a personal level .
article_snippet: But Lionel Messi made the team tick on Sunday night and was a star once again for Barca .