Cristiano Ronaldo pushes Pep Guardiola during El Clasico

Barcelona coach plays down confrontation with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo during 5-0 thrashing of Jose Mourinho's side at the Nou Camp.

"These things happen on the pitch." - Pep Guardiola.

"I was caught close to the action and although it was unpleasant, these things happen. In these games there is much tension." - Andres Iniesta.

One suspects that if Barcelona had been on the receiving end of a beating in El Clasico, rather than the other way around, Cristiano Ronaldo's push on the Catalans' coach Pep Guardiola would not have been so easily dismissed. That said, it was easy for Barcelona to magnanimously swat the issue aside once a 5-0 thrashing had been completed at Camp Nou.

The coming together between C-Ron and Pep was one of the major flashpoints during a match packed with controversial moments. The incident unnecessarily bubbled up towards the end of the first half as Ronaldo went to collect possession from Guardiola after the ball had been kicked out for a Real Madrid throw-in. Rather than simply hand the ball to Ronaldo, Guardiola intentionally turfed the ball just to the side of the Portuguese forward. Not liking that one bit, Ronaldo then lost his cool and pushed the Barca boss in an obvious act of aggression.

Cue the brawl.

Furious at seeing their coach man-handled, Iniesta and then the rest of the Barcelona team immediately set upon Ronaldo to protest against his over-the-top reaction. Losing control though was not just a problem for Los Blancos, with Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes charging 50 yards out of his goal to foolishly give Ronaldo a piece of his mind.

After several minutes of pushing and shoving, matters finally simmered down. The result was that both Ronaldo and Valdes collected bookings, while Guardiola, perhaps surprisingly for his part in the whole flare-up, got off with a reprimand.

Footage of the coming together between Cristiano Ronaldo and Pep Guardiola can be seen below: