Real Madrid Snaps Four-Game Clásico Drought with 2-1 Thriller Over Barcelona: Mbappé and Bellingham Shine Amid Late Chaos
Real Madrid reclaimed supremacy in Spain’s fiercest rivalry, edging Barcelona 2-1 in a pulsating El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu to end a humiliating four-match losing streak against their Catalan foes and extend their La Liga lead to five points.
Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham sealed a statement victory for Los Blancos, who sit atop the table with 24 points from an 8-0-1 record, while Barça drops to second on 22 after their second league loss of the season.
The match exploded into life early, with VAR denying Madrid a penalty and goal in the opening 15 minutes, setting a tone of controversy that simmered throughout.
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute, latching onto Bellingham’s exquisite through ball to slot home clinically, extending his blistering form with 16 goals in 12 games this term.
Barcelona, under Hansi Flick, responded with tenacity, equalizing in the 38th minute through Fermín López’s deft finish, assisted by summer signing Marcus Rashford, silencing the 81,000-strong Bernabéu.
Madrid’s English maestro Bellingham restored the lead just before halftime in the 43rd minute, pouncing on a rebound from Éder Militão’s header to lash home, his seventh goal of the campaign and a dagger in Barça’s hearts.
The second half crackled with drama: Mbappé’s 52nd-minute penalty was brilliantly saved by Wojciech Szczęsny, keeping Barça in contention, but their dominance—15 shots to Madrid’s 23—yielded no equalizer.
Tempers boiled over in stoppage time when Pedri’s reckless challenge on Aurélien Tchouaméni earned a second yellow, reducing Barça to 10 men in the 90+10th.
Vinícius Júnior’s heated substitution in the 72nd added fuel, with the Brazilian storming off, a minor dent in Xabi Alonso’s triumphant debut Clasico.
The win avenges recent humiliations—a 4-0 Bernabéu thrashing in October 2024 and 5-2 Super Cup final loss in January 2025—shifting the head-to-head to Madrid’s favor 106-104 in competitive clashes, with 52 draws.
Mbappé’s 12 goals in nine Clásicos trail only Karim Benzema’s 15, while Bellingham’s poise embodies Madrid’s youth resurgence.
For Barcelona, the defeat exposes vulnerabilities in Hansi Flick’s project—despite 62% possession— with Yamal’s pre-match jibes about Madrid’s “luck” backfiring amid the post-whistle scuffle involving Carvajal and Courtois.
De Jong dismissed the confrontation as “exaggerated,” defending the teen prodigy: “If you’re a teammate of Lamine and you want him to keep his statements to a minimum, you can speak privately.”
La Liga’s disciplinary panel may review the melee, but for now, Madrid savors a psychological edge in the title race.
