Real Madrid defeated rivals Barcelona 2-1 in the first El Clásico of the season on Sunday, a victory that moves them five points clear at the top of the La Liga table. In his first Clásico as Real Madrid coach, Xabi Alonso snapped Barcelona's four-game winning streak against the hosts from last season. The intense, controversy-filled match at the Santiago Bernabeu was decided by goals from Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham.
The atmosphere was electric from the start, dominated by chances and calls for VAR intervention. Early in the first half, a penalty awarded to Madrid for a challenge on Vinicius Junior was overturned by VAR, which determined the Brazilian initiated contact with Lamine Yamal. Moments later, Mbappé had a brilliant volley disallowed for a marginal offside. However, Mbappé did not have to wait long for a legal goal, scoring his 11th league goal of the campaign in the 22nd minute after a sublime through ball from Bellingham.
Against the run of play, Barcelona managed to equalize in the 38th minute. A mistake in midfield by Arda Güler allowed Barcelona to pounce, with Marcus Rashford crossing for Fermín López to blast home the equalizer. However, Real Madrid immediately restored their advantage just five minutes later when Bellingham gleefully tapped in a rebound after Éder Militão nodded Vinicius’s cross back across the goal.
The drama continued immediately after halftime. Madrid was awarded a penalty after the ball struck Eric Garcia's hand in the box. However, Mbappé's resulting spot-kick was superbly saved by Barcelona keeper Wojciech Szczesny. Despite the penalty save, Barcelona, led from the touchline by suspended coach Hansi Flick's assistant Marcus Sorg, struggled to create meaningful chances, hampered by injuries to key players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
Tensions flared in the final moments of the extended stoppage time. Barcelona midfielder Pedri was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Aurélien Tchouaméni, sparking brief shoving matches and arguments between players and staff from both sides. Madrid substitute goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was also shown a red card for his role in the fracas. Defender Ronald Araújo was moved up front by Sorg in a desperate search for an equalizer but could not trouble Thibaut Courtois.
The victory moves Real Madrid five points clear of their bitter rival at the top of the La Liga table, marking their ninth win in 10 league games this season. In contrast, Barcelona, who dominated possession with 68% but struggled to convert their advantage (Real Madrid's Expected Goals (xG) was 3.60 to Barcelona's 1.03), suffered their third loss in all competitions this season.
