Barcelona coach concedes Beckham ran show for Real Madrid

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard conceded David Beckham had a major say in Real Madrid's 4-2 triumph on Sunday.

While no-one from the club has criticised the England captain, Beckham has been the subject of attacks from local Barcelona pundits ever since he snubbed the Nou Camp for Madrid two years ago.

Sunday was Beckham's best performance against Barca and Rijkaard admitted yesterday: "A lot of the game came through Beckham."

"He and Zidane controlled the tempo very well. Real Madrid wanted to create ways of getting to our goal as quickly as they could and Beckham and Zidane's passing allowed that to happen."

"They both produced magnificent performances."