Real Madrid broke their four-game losing streak against bitter rivals Barcelona with a hard-fought 2–1 win in Sunday’s El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu, a result that extends their lead at the top of La Liga to five points.
Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham found the back of the net for Los Blancos, who now have 27 points from ten matches after winning nine of them. The victory served as a strong response from Xabi Alonso’s men following their disappointing loss to Atlético Madrid earlier in the season.
Mbappé put Madrid ahead midway through the first half, finishing calmly past Wojciech Szczęsny after a superb assist from Bellingham.
The Frenchman, however, missed the chance to double his tally when his second-half penalty was saved by the Barcelona goalkeeper.
Barcelona drew level in the 38th minute through Fermín López, who finished Marcus Rashford’s cross after Arda Güler had lost possession in midfield. Madrid restored their lead shortly before halftime, as Éder Militão headed Vinícius Júnior’s cross into Bellingham’s path for an easy tap-in.
With head coach Hansi Flick serving a suspension, assistant Marcus Sorg took charge of the visitors, who were missing key players such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Dani Olmo. Teenage winger Lamine Yamal, who had stirred controversy with his comments about Madrid before the match, started but failed to make a major impression.
Madrid controlled much of the second half, creating several opportunities to widen the gap. Mbappé’s penalty miss after Eric García’s handball kept Barcelona in the game, but the Catalans struggled to produce any real threat going forward.
Late drama unfolded when Pedri was shown a second yellow card, sparking a heated confrontation between both benches that carried on even after the final whistle.
After the game, Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said the team drew extra motivation from Yamal’s pre-match remarks.
“It’s fine, those are just words,” he told reporters. “But they gave us a bit more determination. The game is played on the pitch, and we won. We’re happy with the performance and the result.”
The victory cements Real Madrid’s position at the top of the La Liga table, while Barcelona remain second, five points adrift of their long-time rivals.
