Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham gave Real Madrid a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a hard-fought El Clasico, ending a run of four consecutive defeats against their soccer rivals and extending their lead at the top of the La Liga standings.
On Sunday, Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty but Madrid opened the scoring, and although Fermin López equalized at the Santiago Bernabéu, Bellingham’s second goal for the hosts before half-time proved decisive.
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Barça playmaker Pedri was sent off for a second yellow card in the closing stages as tensions flared in the Spanish capital.
Real now lead LaLiga with 27 points, five behind second-place Barcelona.
Madrid’s victory means they have won nine of their opening 10 league games, and Xabi Alonso’s side have shown they can win important games against Barça, following their derby defeat to Atlético Madrid in September.
Hansi Flick’s assistant Markus Zorc took charge on the touchline after the German coach was suspended following a red card during last weekend’s win over relegation-battling Girona.
Barcelona were without several regular starters, including Rafinha, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, and Lamine Yamal started, although he does not yet appear to be fully fit due to a groin injury.
The teenager caused a stir in Madrid fans that week by claiming Los Blancos had “stolen” him and “complained about it”, and was greeted with a chorus of jeers when his name was read out before kick-off.
Barcelona had more of the ball in the first half, but it was mostly ineffective possession, with Madrid creating the most dangerous opportunities.
The hosts were awarded an early penalty when Yamal tried to bring down Vinicius Junior. However, as it was the Brazilian who initiated the contact, the match was canceled after a VAR review.
When Mbappé scored from outside the area, Madrid fans’ anger towards the officials increased even further. However, the goal against the French superstar was ruled out for millimeters offside.
It didn’t take long for Mbappé to celebrate in earnest after Bellingham’s superb play led to his goal.
The forward, who is the division’s top scorer, scored his 11th league goal of the season with a deadly low finish past Wojciech Szczesny.
Bellingham and Fede Valverde scored with good saves from goalkeeper Dean Huyssen, giving Madrid the lead.
Szczesny again stopped Vinicius and Bellingham, but it was against the continuation of play when Barcelona equalized.
Arda Güler won the ball in a dangerous area and Marcus Rashford, playing in his first Clasico, crossed for Lopes to equalize for the visitors in the 38th minute.
Five minutes later, Bellingham scored Madrid’s second goal, giving Los Blancos a deserved advantage.
The England international, who scored his first goal at the Bernabéu since April against Juventus in midweek, was elated after Vinicius’ cross was nodded home by Eder Militao.
Madrid should have extended their lead at the start of the second half, but after Eric Garcia was penalized for a handball, Szczesny made a fine save to push away Mbappe’s penalty.
Yamal became frustrated and struggled to influence the game, sending a long-range shot high over the bar as Madrid closed the ranks and kept the Catalans at a safe distance from goal.
Madrid looked more threatening in the final stages, even though Barça needed to score, with Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Díaz available, Barça had little reinforcement in attack.
After scoring the winning goal as a makeshift striker against Girona, Zorg sent defender Ronald Araujo forward in the nine minutes of stoppage time, but the centre-back was unable to trouble Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
A brief scuffle broke out between bench players from both teams after Pedri was sent off just before the final whistle. The altercation continued after the match, and included Vinicius Jr. and Yamal.
Real Madrid’s Aurélien Choameny told reporters that the team was very happy with the result after sticking to the game plan.
“We have to keep going. We still have three points. There are other points to win and we have to step up,” he said.
He said Yamal’s pre-match comments helped motivate Madrid.
“It’s okay. It’s just words. There’s no malicious intent. It strengthened our resolve a little bit and helped us,” he said.
“If Lamine wants to talk, that’s fine. The game was played on the pitch and we won. We are very happy with our game and will look forward.”
