5 reasons the 231st El Clasico was a treat to watch

The dust has settled and, in the end, Barcelona defeated bitter rival Real Madrid by a convincing 4-0 scoreline Saturday to close the 231st edition of El Clasico.

In the hours that followed, the game was broken down and analyzed like any other important match, but it was also a spectacle, a party, and a show - an occasion so grand that, as one enthusiastic commentator put it, even Martians pointed their telescopes toward Spain.

Here are five reasons why this El Clasico match was such a treat to watch:

Flicks, tricks, brilliant passes, and beautiful goals

The highlight package from the match was certainly something else. Check out this outside-foot shot from Luis Suarez to open the scoring. Or, this rocket strike by Andres Iniesta to give Barcelona a 3-0 lead.

Iniesta was a little maestro in midfield, with his genius on full display throughout. Here, Iniesta first splits apart Toni Kroos and Luka Modric before finding Neymar for the second goal of the day with a clinical pass.

The goals and assists were fun to watch, but there was one more moment of insanity in this one ...

Red card! Isco does a number on Neymar's knee

No El Clasico match is complete without tempers boiling over and the referee doling out a spine-tingling red card. This edition was no different, as Real Madrid midfielder Isco was sent toward the showers early for a brutal challenge on Neymar.

Unhappy with the fact his team was down 4-0, Isco lashed out at the tricky Brazilian, kicking the back of his knee. He was immediately shown a red card for it.

It looked like it hurt, as Neymar rolled around on the ground approximately 165,000 times before the card was shown and he got back up. But, El Clasico wouldn't be what it is without just a little bit of dirty play.

Doomsday dawns for Madrid faithful

The nature and gravitas of this day is such that the winning team feels nothing but glory while the losing side tastes the most bitter defeat. The postgame quotes show that duality brilliantly:

"This victory is glorious, especially in the way that it came about," Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said. "It has been an all-round performance. It will go down in history as a memorable game for the Blaugranes."

"Whenever you lose it's always bad ... especially against Barcelona," Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez told reporters. "Now we have to train hard and work hard to improve. I hope the team can recover quickly."

The crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu felt it, too, as they chanted for Florentino Perez's resignation - but, at the very least, they applauded Iniesta, much like the Madrid faithful once did for Ronaldinho.

Claudio Bravo puts on a clinic

Barcelona 'keeper Claudio Bravo put on the defensive display of his life, denying Real Madrid a number of times to keep a clean sheet away from home.

While he made a number of big saves - including a dive to his right to deny James Rodriguez a goal - it was this stop on Cristiano Ronaldo that had Barcelona fans falling in love.

As for Madrid's defence, well ... Marcelo's incredible goal-line clearance is certainly worth mentioning, as Madridistas around the world felt their hearts beating out of their collective chests at that frightening moment.

Lionel Messi returns at 3-0 up

You're 3-0 up, your star player is returning from a torn knee ligament, and there is absolutely no pressure to play him.

So, what do you do if you're the Barcelona manager?

You allow Lionel Messi to make his return to the field, perhaps to torment Madrid just a little bit more.

It was completely over the top. It was maybe even a little rude, if football etiquette was a thing that actually existed. But, for Barcelona fans, it was brilliant. It was perfectly cheeky. And, had Messi scored, it would have been an delicious way to round off a delightful El Clasico match.