Real Madrid opened a five-point gap at the top of La Liga after defeating Barcelona 2–1 in Sunday’s El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabéu, with goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham sealing the victory.
Mbappe continued his fine scoring form, while Xabi Alonso’s tactical blueprint delivered immediate dividends in his first El Clasico as Real boss. Remarkably, seven of Madrid’s previous eight managers had lost their first La Liga meeting with Barcelona.
After Carlo Ancelotti’s relaxed, player-driven approach failed to yield success last season, Alonso’s structured and disciplined model has revitalized the team. The result further exposed Barcelona’s shaky start to the campaign, hampered by inconsistent performances and injuries to key players including Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Dani Olmo.
Football analyst Guillem Balague remarked, “It’s like the whole team is a little bit less sharp without the ball, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive to get possession back. It’s easier to attack them.”
Lamine Yamal, who caused havoc against Madrid last season, struggled to make an impact this time, possibly due to lingering groin issues.
Madrid began strongly and were initially awarded a penalty when Vinicius Jr went down under pressure from Yamal, but VAR overturned the call. Mbappe had an early goal ruled out for offside before finally breaking the deadlock, finishing coolly from Bellingham’s incisive pass.
Barcelona equalized after Marcus Rashford dispossessed Arda Guler near Madrid’s box and set up Fermin Lopez to score. But Real’s sustained dominance paid off late, with Bellingham smashing home the decisive goal to secure victory and strengthen Madrid’s grip on top spot in La Liga.
