Barcelona defeated arch-rivals Real Madrid four times in 2024/25, but Real Madrid drew first blood by beating Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.
Kylian Mbappé broke the tie for Los Blancos in the 22nd minute and Fermín López equalized in the 38th minute. However, the last word of the half (and eventually the entire match) would fall to Jude Bellingham in the 43rd minute.
Barcelona finished the match with 10 men, when Pedri received a second yellow card in second-half stoppage time.
Team news and tactical setups
Real Madrid, led by Xabi Alonso, lined up in a 4-2-3-1: Thibaut Courtois in goal; Álvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, Éder Militão and Fede Valverde in the background; Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga as anchors in the midfield; Arda Güler, Bellingham and Vinícius Jr. support Mbappé up front.
Injuries kept Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy out, but Alonso still fielded a formidable eleven.
Barcelona, coached by Hansi Flick, deployed a 4-3-3: Wojciech Szczęsny in goal; Alejandro Balde, Eric García, Pau Cubarsí and Jules Koundé in defense; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Fermín López in the midfield; Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres lead the attack.
Flick was without Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Gavi and Marc-André ter Stegen, forcing a reshuffle that left Barcelona vulnerable in transitions.
Match summary: a rollercoaster of emotions
The match started with controversy. In the 3rd minute, Real Madrid were initially awarded a penalty for an alleged foul by Lamine Yamal on Vinícius Jr., but the VAR overturned the decision, calling an offensive foul against Vinícius. Minutes later, Mbappé thought he had scored, but the goal was disallowed for offside after another VAR control.
Perseverance paid off in the 22nd minute. Bellingham split Barcelona’s high line with a sublime pass and Mbappé clinically beat Szczęsny to make it 1-0.
Real dominated early, creating overloads and forcing saves from Szczęsny, who denied Huijsen and Vinícius in quick succession. Against the run of play, Barcelona tied in the 38th minute: Arda Güler lost possession, Rashford jumped and his cutback found Fermín López, who scored 1-1.
The Bernabéu came to life five minutes later. Vinícius danced past Koundé and De Jong, launched a cross and Militão’s header was crossed by Bellingham (43′) to make it 2-1. Real were about to add the third before the break, but Szczęsny frustrated Mbappé again.
The second half brought more drama. In the 49th minute, Real were awarded a penalty for a handball by Eric García, but Mbappé’s penalty was brilliantly saved by Szczęsny, keeping Barcelona alive.
Flick’s men advanced, and Yamal made a magnificent pass to Koundé late on, but the defender’s strong touch wasted the opportunity. Tensions erupted in injury time: Pedri received two yellow cards in a row, reducing Barcelona to ten men.
Vinícius Jr.’s angry reaction to being substituted earlier added to the chaos, and police intervention was necessary to calm things down after a heated exchange between players.
Mbappé and Bellingham: true stars of Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé was electric: his goal showed dizzying pace and precision, while his movements constantly stretched Barcelona’s high line. Even after missing a penalty, his confidence never wavered, creating space for his teammates and drawing fouls in dangerous areas.
Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham was the orchestrator. His assist to Mbappé and the goal he scored himself later underlined his dual threat: creativity and composure. At just 22 years old, Bellingham is already Madrid’s general midfield, dictating the pace and pressing relentlessly.
Szczęsny’s heroics keep Barcelona alive
Despite conceding two goals, Wojciech Szczęsny was arguably Barcelona’s best player. His penalty save against Mbappé in the 49th minute was world class, diving low to his left at the perfect moment.
Beyond that, the Polish veteran made five crucial saves, including reflex saves from Vinícius Jr. and Militão. Without Szczęsny, this could have been a defeat.
His performance raises questions: is he now Barcelona’s undisputed number one ahead of an in-form Ter Stegen? Difficult decision.
Barcelona’s tactical bet turns out to be counterproductive
Hansi Flick’s insistence on a high defensive line was bold, but ultimately suicidal against Mbappe’s pace.
Time and time again, Real took advantage of the space behind Koundé and Balde, forcing emergency interventions. The midfield trio (Pedri, De Jong and López) struggled to protect the back four, leaving spaces for Bellingham to exploit.
Flick’s philosophy of proactive pressing works against lesser teams, but against Madrid’s firepower, it seemed rather naive.
Discipline and mental fragility
El Clásico is always emotional, but Barcelona’s composure cracked. Pedri’s second warning in injury time epitomized overflowing frustration.
Meanwhile, Vinícius Jr.’s angry reaction to being substituted and the off-field clashes just before and after the final whistle show tensions even in victory.
These high points are important: they affect the harmony of the locker room and could extend to future games. For Flick, restoring calm and confidence is as urgent as tactical solutions.
La Liga standings
Real Madrid now occupies first place with 27 points (9W-0D-1L), five more than Barcelona, which remains second with 22 points (7W-1D-2L). Villarreal (20 points) and Espanyol (18 points) are further behind, making this a two-horse race for now. Atlético de Madrid are in a distant fifth place (16 points), but with a game in hand, as they play away against Real Betis on Monday.
As for Real Madrid, they will host Valencia next Saturday, before traveling to the northwest of England to face Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League, looking to take advantage of the crisis that the Premier League champion is going through to avenge last season’s defeat on Merseyside.
Barcelona arguably have an easier task as they will play at home against Elche and away against Club Brugge in their next two matches.
Real Madrid’s five-point lead doesn’t mean much at this point in the season, but it could be the foundation for greater success in the coming months. On the other hand, it could also give them a false sense of security. But in all likelihood, both sides will be aware of the need to keep pushing each other as hard as they can.
