Spanish rivals share draw

Adriano's fellow defenders - Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique - also made crucial interceptions in a niggly opening half to cut out passes from Ronaldo and Di Maria.

Just before the interval Ronaldo's powerful header was headed off the line by Adriano following a Real corner.

It was Di Maria's fellow Argentine Messi who carried the main Barca threat to Real in those opening 45 minutes.

Early on Messi attempted to lob Casillas and after a slaloming run by the Argentine international the Real Madrid goalkeeper did well to beat away the Barca forward's shot.

Casillas also appeared to bring down Villa but referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez was unmoved apart from waving a yellow card at Pique for his protestations over the decision.

Early in the second half Ronaldo's dipping free-kick clipped the upright but minutes later Real found themselves a man and a goal down.

If Villa's first-half penalty appeal had been ignored by Fernandez the referee immediately pointed to the spot after Albiol crudely wrestled the former Valencia striker to the ground.

Messi's penalty was not the best but Casillas dived early as the Argentine notched up his 49th goal of the season.

Barca then had to rejig their defence when Puyol, who was playing for the first time in three months following a knee injury, had to be substituted with what looked like a hamstring injury.

Not that the loss of their captain seemed to have any effect on Barca's increasing dominance as Xavi Hernandez clipped the bar with a curling shot.

Mourinho introduced Ozil and the on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor as Real attempted to salvage points and pride from the game.

And Real managed to do just that when Marcelo went to ground after he was tackled by Alves and Ronaldo's precise penalty provided the Portuguese's forward with his 29th league goal of the season.

After Saturday's league match the two clubs will meet in the Copa del Rey final on 20 April, which will be followed by their Champions League semi-final - with the first leg at Real's Bernabeu stadium on 27 April and Barca staging the second at the Nou Camp on 3 May.

With six games left in La Liga, Real are likely to need a dramatic collapse by Barca for Mourinho's side to win the league, though they can take credit from their ability to take a point from a game in which they played nearly half of it with 10 men.

"Eleven against 10 and it was practically mission impossible," said Mourinho. "Especially against a team that - with possession of the ball - are the best in the world.

"We drew and nearly won but, with the circumstances of the game, it's a draw you have to be happy with."

Mourinho's Barca counterpart Pep Guardiola said: "We should have attacked Casillas' goal more when it was 1-0 but its natural to sit back some when you're in the lead."

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