Bellingham Shines As Real Madrid Edges Barcelona In El Clásico

‎Real Madrid once again proved their mettle on the biggest stage, defeating arch-rivals Barcelona 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in a heated El Clásico match.

‎Early Drama and Disallowed Goals

‎Coming into the clash on the back of four consecutive wins across all competitions and eager to put a 5–2 derby defeat to Atlético Madrid behind them Real Madrid started with intent.

‎The Bernabéu was barely settling when referee César Soto Grado pointed to the penalty spot after Vinícius Júnior appeared to be fouled by Lamine Yamal inside two minutes.

‎However, after a lengthy VAR review, the decision was overturned, much to the relief of Barcelona’s travelling contingent.

‎Undeterred, Madrid kept pressing. In the 12th minute, Kylian Mbappé thought he had put his side ahead with a spectacular dipping strike from distance, a goal that had all the makings of an instant classic, but the Frenchman was denied by the narrowest of offside calls.

‎Bellingham and Mbappé Combine to Punish Barça

‎Real’s persistence eventually paid off in the 22nd minute. Jude Bellingham, ever the orchestrator in tight spaces, received the ball between the lines and threaded a perfectly timed pass through to Mbappé.

‎The French superstar made no mistake this time, calmly slotting past Wojciech Szczęsny for his 12th career goal against Barcelona.

‎Yet, true to the nature of El Clásico, Barcelona responded. Having fallen behind in five of their last ten league outings, Hansi Flick’s men rallied through Fermín López, who fired home first-time after Arda Güler’s sloppy giveaway deep in his own half gifted the visitors an opening.

‎For a brief moment, it felt as though the momentum might swing Barça’s way.

‎Militão and Bellingham Restore Madrid’s Grip

‎However, Real Madrid refused to let their control slip for long.

‎Just five minutes later, Vinícius Júnior burst down the left flank with his trademark flair and delivered a looping cross to the far post. Éder Militão, showing composure and awareness, cushioned the ball perfectly into Bellingham’s path and the Englishman made no mistake, finishing neatly to restore Madrid’s lead.

‎An offside Mbappé nearly added a third before halftime, but the flag denied him once again after a chaotic scramble inside the box.

‎Second-Half Chaos

‎The second half picked up right where the first had left off. Within minutes of the restart, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty after Eric García handled inside the box.

‎Up stepped Mbappé but Szczęsny guessed right and parried the effort away, keeping Barcelona’s hopes alive. It was a rare misstep from the Frenchman, who otherwise looked electric throughout.

‎Barcelona tried to exploit Madrid’s defensive gaps with a higher line, but it nearly backfired. Brahim Díaz had a goal ruled out for offside after Bellingham finished his low cross another close call that kept the tension sky-high.

‎As the game entered its final stages, Real Madrid managed the tempo masterfully, frustrating their visitors with controlled possession and tactical discipline.

‎Barcelona’s best chance to equalise fell to Jules Koundé, but the defender’s poor chest control squandered a golden opportunity. To make matters worse, Pedri received his marching orders late on after picking up a second yellow card, ending any hope of a comeback.

‎Defining Night for Xabi Alonso’s Madrid

‎The final whistle was greeted by jubilant scenes at the Bernabéu. The result meant that Real Madrid had now won nine consecutive home league matches their best run in over a decade.

‎More significantly, Xabi Alonso became only the second Real manager in the last eight appointments to avoid defeat in his first league El Clásico.