Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 in Clasico as Mbappé scores twice at Camp Nou

Real Madrid snatched a valuable 2-1 win at host Barcelona on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 25, in the tenth-round Clasico of LaLiga at Spotify Camp Nou, with a double from Frenchman Kylian Mbappé in the 41st and 87th minutes, and a goal from Brazilian Rafinha in the 61st minute, in a match refereed by Juan Martínez Munuera with 62,055 spectators in attendance.

A stroke-of-luck goal gives the visitors the first-half lead

Coach José Mourinho's side entered the match with clear competitiveness, closing down Barcelona's outlets in midfield in the absence of suspended Vinícius Júnior and with Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in goal. The royal team relied on tight man-to-man marking, which left Barcelona's midfield lacking its usual passing accuracy, while Lamine Yamal faced a tough battle against Spanish full-back Marc Cucurella, who stuck with him throughout the game. Englishman Anthony Gordon received a yellow card in the first half, and Lunin saved a shot from him after a misplaced pass by Arda Guler. Minutes before the break, Real Madrid players moved the ball from side to side until it reached Diomande, who delivered a cross that defender Gerard Martin cleared but the ball struck Mbappé and went into the net, giving the visitors the first goal in the 41st minute.

Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal wasted a great chance to equalize two minutes later when he went one-on-one with Lunin and shot wide, while a Mbappé attempt hit the post before halftime but was ruled offside.

Rafinha equalizes from a short corner

Camp Nou, Barcelona's stronghold (archival image) — Wikimedia Commons / JaflaumS05 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

At the start of the second half Englishman Jude Bellingham wasted a two-on-one counterattack that could have doubled the lead. Then Portuguese João Cancelo stamped on Diomande's leg, prompting protests from Real Madrid players without VAR intervention, and the Ivorian left injured. In the 61st minute Barcelona played a short corner, after which Pedri slipped a through-ball to Rafinha who fired a low shot to level the score, before Mourinho brought on Dutchman Denzel Dumfries for Federico Valverde.

Lunin shines and Mbappé decides it in the final minutes

The home side pressed in search of a go-ahead goal, and Lunin kept his team in front with a brilliant save to deny Gerard with a header from a corner in the 66th minute. Three minutes before the end of regular time Bellingham shrugged off two players in midfield, and Turkish player Arda Guler played a deep pass to substitute Eduardo Camavinga, who drove forward, beat his marker and crossed to Mbappé, who slotted the ball into the net in the 87th minute to seal the Clasico for Real Madrid.

Mbappé's 100th goal and the title race heats up

With his brace Mbappé reached his 100th goal for Real Madrid in 116 matches. The victory ended Barcelona's unbeaten league record this season and cut the gap between the royal team and league leaders to just three points, leaving Hansi Flick's side on 27 points versus 24 for Real Madrid, a result that early on rekindles excitement in the title race.

The loss silenced the Camp Nou stands, which had gathered more than 62,000 spectators awaiting another Barcelona performance in the Clasico, while Real Madrid's players and coaching staff celebrated a win achieved despite absences, insisting the team is capable of competing with their rival until the end.

Read also: Date of today's Barcelona vs Real Madrid Clasico and the absences at Camp Nouand