Kylian Mbappe’s 87th-minute winner ended Barcelona’s perfect start to the Liga season as Real Madrid moved within three points of their fierce rivals with a potentially earth-shaking victory at the Camp Nou classic.
escape The League Top scorer Raphinha’s 13th goal of the season looked to have earned Barca a draw in the first meeting between the teams of the campaign, responding to Mbappé’s fortuitous opener shortly before half-time.
Last season’s leading shooter in the division settled a great contest after a sublime skill from Jude Bellinghamtwisting and turning before releasing Eduardo Camavinga to charge into the box and cut back a cross for the winner, sending visiting manager Jose Mourinho to his knees in celebration.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Mourinho points to beating Barça
When Madrid suffered their second defeat in three La Liga games away to Atlético de Madrid on September 20, Mourinho’s pre-season appointment for a second spell at the club already looked like a flawed attempt to halt Barca’s dominance of the division.
That may still be true (Madrid are one point behind Atlético and three shy of Barça), but the change in momentum since then has given a plot twist at the start of the season ending the reigning champions’ air of invincibility.
Barca had won their first nine league games and could have scored first if Andriy Lunin pushed Anthony Gordon’s opener onto the post.
By then, the home side had lost Xavi Espart to injury, making way for Alejandro Balde after a challenge on Aurelien Tchaumeni, and fell behind when Gerard Martin’s attempt to clear Yan Diomande’s cross hit Mbappe and went in.
The ingenious Lamine Yamal fired over from a glorious position before the break and, after an uninspired start to the second half, Barca equalized when Pedri’s masterful turn and reverse pass set up Raphinha inside the box on the right, taking a touch and firing a shot through Jude Bellingham’s legs to beat Lunin with a glove.
Lunin replaces the ill Thibaut Courtois and Madrid have the Ukraine international to thank as much as Mbappé, making a remarkable save to keep Martin’s header off the line.
Yamal, looking dejected at full-time, fired a shot wide as Barcelona pushed for the lead, but Bellingham’s balletic flourish was a fitting catalyst for the move that led to Mbappe’s second, celebrating in a corner as Mourinho recalled his innate theatricality.
Since Vinicius Junior was sent off in their home win over Villarreal on October 10, Madrid have won four times and scored 14 goals in all competitions, while Barca have scored 12 and conceded nine, suffering a second straight defeat here after their Champions League defeat in Paris on Tuesday.
Madrid have reason to sing more than three years after their last victory at Barça. Mourinho has a statement result to justify the fanfare surrounding his second coming, and the title defense of the incumbent no longer feels like a certain procession.
Team Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Barcelona made two changes after the 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, bringing Rodri and Fermin López into midfield.
Dani Olmo was replaced during the first half of that game with a left adductor injury. Marc Bernal moved to the bench.
Barcelona: Joan Garcia, Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo, Pedri, Rodri, Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Anthony Gordon
Substitutes: Wojciech Szczesny, Alejandro Balde, Brian Farinas, Gavi, Gabriel Jesus, Karim Adeyemi, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal, Dominik Livakovic, Hamza Abdelkarim, Orian Goren, Alex Campos
Real Madrid team vs Barcelona in the classic
Lunin replaced Courtois in one of five Madrid The changes come alongside the introductions of defender Ibrahima Konate and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and Diomande.
Alvaro Carreras, Antonio Rudiger and Eduardo Camavinga have moved to the bench. Vinicius Junior was suspended.
Real Madrid: Andriy Lunin, Federico Valverde, Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, Yan Diomande, Kylian Mbappe
Substitutes: Illia Voloshyn, Sergio Mestre, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alvaro Carreras, Antonio Rudiger, Denzel Dumfries, Eduardo Camavinga, Thiago Pitarch, Endrick, Carlos Espi, Brahim Diaz
Barcelona vs Real Madrid the classic La Liga stats
- Six of the previous seven meetings between the teams in all competitions had resulted in wins for Barca, with the exception of Madrid’s 2-1 home win last season.
- Barca had won three of their previous four at home to Madrid in La Liga, interrupted by a 2-1 win for the Whites in October 2023 when Jude Bellingham scored in the 68th and 92nd minutes after Ilkay Gundogan had opened the scoring.
- Lionel Messi is the top scorer in the history of the game, Barça’s all-time leading scorer scoring 15 times against Madrid.
- The other two players with double figures in the match played for Madrid: Alfredo di Stefano (13) and Raúl (12).
- Hansi Flick’s side had won eight consecutive home games in all competitions since their 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on 14 April.
- With six assists for Barça, Lamine Yamal had scored more goals than any other player in La Liga this season before kick-off.
- Barça striker Raphinha is the top scorer in the division with 13 goals after nine appearances, having played one fewer game than the players immediately behind him.
- Since the La Liga tie at Camp Nou in December 2019, each of the last 22 editions of the Clásico has seen at least one goal, with at least two in each of the most recent 12 meetings.
- This was also the last tie between the teams, although Barcelona won the 2024/25 Copa del Rey final after extra time, with Madrid prevailing in the 2021/22 Supercopa semi-finals after 30 extra minutes.
