Lionel Messi had another brilliant game in a Barcelona shirt, but was matched by Cristiano Ronaldo in the Real Madrid side, during a pulsating El Clasico at the Camp Nou.
Messi and Ronaldo - undoubtedly the two best players in the world - scored two goals each as the match ended 2-2, and according to the Argentine wonder the result was a fair one.
"It was a beautiful game, we could have won, and they also could have won," Messi said. "We seek to win, but it's not easy.
"We played against Madrid and we knew it would be very complicated. We were close to ending (just) five points above.
"We went to look for the result but we knew we had in front a very good Real Madrid team, with very good players. We're still eight points clear but we know that there is still much to play for."
The superstar duo might have taken all the plaudits after the game, but Messi, humble as ever, refused to take all the credit for his side. "I'm not speaking individually, no one is special," he added. "These games motivate everyone to play, not only Cristiano Ronaldo and me."
Meanwhile, Real manager Jose Mourinho was proud of his team's outstanding display, where, had they taken their first half chances, the result could have been very different.
"I think that the world will be happy because often these matches are too tactical and finish goalless," the Portuguese said. "This match had everything that people like.
"Those fans that are in different time zones will have been awake and enjoyed this Clasico a lot and perhaps are already asking for another one in the Cup or the Champions League, if we get through.
"I think it was a great match and I said so to (Barcelona manager Tito) Vilanova. The league is as it was before with the same point difference that there was before the match. I really enjoyed my team's display."
In a game where Real were the stronger team in the first half, but Barcelona were the better one in the second, Mourinho also felt a point was the right result. "For me, the result reflects the match," he said. "I, as a coach, I enjoyed it, and I'm sure Vilanova and the players did too.
"I'll take this outcome. It is a true reflection of the match overall. It was tightly fought and nobody knew what the outcome was going to be until the last minute. There were opportunities to score for both teams."
Real defender Sergio Ramos said the players would leave Barcelona with a bit of a "bittersweet feeling".
"We are happy about the team's hard work and good display," the Spanish international said. "We went out to play from the beginning but we're going home wanting more and with bittersweet feeling. If we had won it would not have surprised anyone, these things happen in football.
"Our game and hard work was better than Barcelona. Anyone who saw the match would not have been surprised if we had won. On other occasions we have recognised that Barcelona were better but that would not have been what happened today if we had won."
Despite an eight point gap, Ramos is confident of closing in on the lead, given that there are still 31 games remaining in the season. "The league is very long, there is a lot of it left," he added. "We wanted to reduce the distance between us but that has not happened. We hope to do in the coming matches."
