Barcelona defeated arch-rivals Actual Madrid 4 instances in 2024/25, however Actual Madrid drew blood first by triumphing over Barcelona on the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Kylian Mbappé broke the impasse for Los Blancos within the twenty second minute, and Fermín López equalized within the thirty eighth. The ultimate phrase of the half (and ultimately the entire match because it turned out) would, nevertheless fall to Jude Bellingham within the forty third.
Barcelona ended the sport with 10 males, as Pedri picked up a second yellow card deep within the second-half stoppage time.
Group Information and Tactical Setups
Actual Madrid, beneath Xabi Alonso, lined up in a 4-2-3-1: Thibaut Courtois in aim; Álvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, Éder Militão, and Fede Valverde throughout the again; Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga anchoring midfield; Arda Güler, Bellingham, and Vinícius Jr. supporting Mbappé up entrance.
Accidents stored Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, and Ferland Mendy out, however Alonso nonetheless fielded a formidable XI.
Barcelona, coached by Hansi Flick, deployed a 4-3-3: Wojciech Szczęsny in aim; Alejandro Balde, Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, and Jules Koundé in protection; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Fermín López in midfield; Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, and Ferran Torres main the assault.
Flick was with out Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Gavi, and Marc-André ter Stegen, forcing a reshuffle that left Barcelona weak on transitions.
Match Recap: A Rollercoaster of Feelings
The sport started with controversy. Within the third minute, Actual Madrid have been initially awarded a penalty for a supposed foul by Lamine Yamal on Vinícius Jr., however VAR overturned the choice, ruling an offensive foul in opposition to Vinícius. Minutes later, Mbappé thought he had scored, just for the aim to be chalked off for offside after one other VAR test.
Persistence paid off within the twenty second minute. Bellingham cut up Barcelona’s excessive line with a elegant by means of ball, and Mbappé completed clinically previous Szczęsny for 1-0.
Actual dominated early, creating overloads and forcing saves from Szczęsny, who denied Huijsen and Vinícius in fast succession. In opposition to the run of play, Barcelona equalized within the thirty eighth minute: Arda Güler misplaced possession, Rashford pounced, and his cutback discovered Fermín López, who slotted dwelling for 1–1.
The Bernabéu roared again to life 5 minutes later. Vinícius danced previous Koundé and De Jong, whipped in a cross, and Militão’s header throughout aim was tapped in by Bellingham (43′) for two–1. Actual almost added a 3rd earlier than halftime, however Szczęsny once more thwarted Mbappé.
The second half introduced extra drama. Within the forty ninth minute, Actual have been awarded a penalty for Eric García’s handball, however Mbappé’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Szczęsny, protecting Barcelona alive.
Flick’s males pushed ahead, with Yamal threading an excellent cross to Koundé late on, however the defender’s heavy contact wasted the prospect. Tensions boiled over in stoppage time: Pedri obtained two yellow playing cards in fast succession, lowering Barcelona to 10 males.
Vinícius Jr.’s indignant response to being substituted earlier added to the chaos, and a police intervention was wanted to calm tempers after a heated alternate between gamers
Mbappé and Bellingham: Correct Actual Madrid Stars
Kylian Mbappé was electrical—his aim showcased blistering tempo and precision, whereas his motion continuously stretched Barcelona’s excessive line. Even after lacking a penalty, his confidence by no means wavered, creating house for teammates and drawing fouls in harmful areas.
Jude Bellingham, in the meantime, was the orchestrator. His help for Mbappé and the aim he scored himself later underlined his twin menace: creativity and composure. At simply 22, Bellingham is already Madrid’s midfield common, dictating tempo and urgent relentlessly.
Szczęsny’s Heroics Preserve Barcelona Alive
Regardless of conceding twice, Wojciech Szczęsny was arguably Barcelona’s greatest performer. His penalty save in opposition to Mbappé within the forty ninth minute was world-class, diving low to his left with good timing.
Past that, the Polish veteran made 5 essential stops, together with reflex saves from Vinícius Jr. and Militão. With out Szczęsny, this might have been a rout.
His efficiency raises questions: is he now Barcelona’s undisputed No. 1 forward of a fit-again Ter Stegen? Powerful name.
Barcelona’s Tactical Gamble Backfires
Hansi Flick’s insistence on a excessive defensive position was daring—however in the end suicidal in opposition to Mbappé’s tempo.
Again and again, Actual exploited the house behind Koundé and Balde, forcing emergency interventions. The midfield trio—Pedri, De Jong, and López—struggled to defend the again 4, leaving gaps for Bellingham to use.
Flick’s philosophy of proactive urgent works in opposition to lesser sides, however in opposition to Madrid’s firepower, it felt reasonably naive.
Self-discipline and Psychological Fragility
El Clásico is all the time emotional, however Barcelona’s composure cracked. Pedri’s second reserving in stoppage time epitomized frustration boiling over.
In the meantime, Vinícius Jr.’s indignant response to being substituted and the off-pitch clashes simply earlier than and after the ultimate whistle present tensions even in victory.
These flashpoints matter: they have an effect on dressing-room concord and will spill into upcoming fixtures. For Flick, restoring calm and confidence is as pressing as tactical fixes.
La Liga Rankings
Actual Madrid now sit high with 27 factors (9W-0D-1L), 5 away from Barcelona, who stay second on 22 factors (7W-1D-2L). Villarreal (20 pts) and Espanyol (18 pts) path additional behind, making this a two-horse race for now. Atletico Madrid are in distant fifth (16 pts), however with a sport in hand as they play away to Actual Betis on Monday.
As for Actual Madrid, they’ll welcome Valencia on Saturday subsequent, earlier than touring to the north-west of England to face Liverpool at Anfield within the Champions League, looking for to benefit from the continued disaster the Premier League champions are going by means of to get some revenge for final season’s defeat on Merseyside.
Barcelona have an arguably simpler process, enjoying at dwelling in opposition to Elche and away to Membership Brugge of their subsequent two outings.
Actual’s five-point benefit doesn’t imply a lot at this stage of the season, nevertheless it may show a basis for better success within the coming months. Then once more, it may give them a false sense of safety too. However in all probability, either side will concentrate on the necessity to proceed pushing as laborious as they will in opposition to one another.
