Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice to secure victory in the La Liga El Clasico.
The match began at a relatively slow pace, with Barcelona creating the first notable opportunity through Anthony Gordon.
Real Madrid took the lead four minutes before halftime when Yan Diomande’s low cross reached Mbappe in the area. Barcelona defender Gerard Martin’s attempted clearance struck the French forward and deflected into the net.
Mbappe then hit the post before Diomande narrowly missed as Real Madrid finished the first half strongly.
Barcelona equalized 16 minutes into the second half when captain Raphinha collected a pass from Pedri and fired through Jude Bellingham’s legs into the far corner.
Martin nearly made amends for his role in Madrid’s opener shortly afterward, but Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin produced a superb one-handed save. Lunin started in place of Thibaut Courtois, who was ruled out through illness.
With the match appearing destined for a draw, Bellingham produced a piece of skill in midfield to start Madrid’s decisive attack. Substitute Eduardo Camavinga carried the ball forward before squaring for Mbappe, who finished into an unguarded net in the 87th minute.
The result left Barcelona a the top of the table with 25 points, two ahead of Atletico Madrid and three clear of Real Madrid.
Barcelona had been aiming to set a new record for consecutive victories at the start of a Spanish top-flight season, but Hansi Flick’s side could not surpass the mark of nine straight wins set by Real Madrid in the 1968-69 campaign.
The victory also edged Real Madrid ahead in the all-time El Clasico record by one, which had been level at 106 wins apiece, with 52 draws before this game. Real Madrid have now scored 446 goals in the fixture, compared with Barcelona’s 442.
- Sunday’s results
Athletic Bilbao 4-0 Getafe
Celta Vigo 0-0 Real Betis
Real Sociedad 2-1 Levante