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          Gareth Bale's car 'kicked and punched' after Real Madrid loss - report

          • Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondentMar 23, 2015, 07:37 AM ET

          Real Madrid's spirited performance in Sunday night's La Liga Clasico at Barcelona's Camp Nou softened the disappointment of the 2-1 defeat for some Los Blancos pundits, but not for those supporters who reportedly hurled abuse at the players on their return to the Spanish capital.

          Madrid had gone into the game apparently in crisis, but reacted well to going behind early to Jeremy Mathieu's header, equalising through Cristiano Ronaldo, and going on to have the better chances right up until Blaugrana centre-forward Luis Suarez scored what turned out to be the night's decisive goal.

          Carlo Ancelotti's side having at least played their part in the topsy-turvy affair was not enough to save them from the wrath of some irate fans, who according to TV station Cuatro, were waiting for the players at the club's Valdebebas training ground, after the team had flown back to the Spanish capital in the early hours on Monday morning.

          Cars belonging to players including Gareth Bale and Jese Rodriguez were "kicked and punched" the report says, while vice-captain Sergio Ramos stopped to tell the supporters they were out of order.

          On Monday morning the front cover of AS had a more lenient view of Madrid's performance, claiming their team had been unfortunate in the game. "They let them off the hook, then paid for it," said the headline, above a photo of Ronaldo hitting the crossbar with the game still at 0-0.

          Also in the Spanish capital, Marca took a similar line. "So many let-offs" said its front page, over an image of Bale, who had a goal disallowed for offside, looking disappointed while Barca stars Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez embraced.

          In Catalonia the mood was more upbeat. Mundo Deportivo's "Barc+4" front page was a reference to their side stretching their lead in the Liga title race to four points with 10 games still to play, with the photo showing Blaugrana goalscorers Jeremy Mathieu and Luis Suarez -- both signed just last summer -- in celebratory mode.

          Sport put the matchwinner front and centre on its cover. "Blow for Madrid" it said, while also referencing Barca's potentially decisive lead in the table, and claiming "Suarez scored the goal which is worth half a Liga."

          Meanwhile, El Pais' match report pointed out a role reversal from the ways the teams have played through recent years. On Sunday night it was the more efficient Barca scoring from a set-piece and on the break, and Madrid having lots of possession but not making it count sufficiently, wrote Ramon Besa.

          "Dominating the bulk of the game was worth nothing to Madrid, because Barca were better in the decisive moments, in those passages of play when Clasicos are decided, in important details like the goals, even allowing for Bale's disallowed goal," the report said.

          "Barca want to win every game, and they do not care too much about the identity of the team, which now seems the latest obsession at Madrid. Time passes and the roles change, even in a Clasico played at the Camp Nou."