Mbappe, Bellingham strike as Real edge Barca in fiery El Clasico
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MADRID: Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham earned Real Madrid a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a spiky El Clasico on Sunday that snapped a four-match losing streak against their rivals and extended their lead atop the La Liga standings.
Mbappe opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a close-range finish after a perfectly timed through ball from Bellingham. However, Barcelona capitalised on a mistake by Arda Guler to equalise in the 38th minute through Fermin Lopez.
Real regained the lead five minutes later when Bellingham tapped in from inside the six-yard box following an inspired run and cross by Vinicius Jr.
Real had several chances but were denied by an excellent display from Barca keeper Wojciech Szczesny, who kept out Mbappe’s penalty early in the second half.
Barcelona barely threatened Real keeper Thibaut Courtois after the break and finished the match with 10 men after midfielder Pedri earned a second yellow card for a sliding tackle from behind on Aurelien Tchouameni in added time.
The closing stages were marked by drama as Vinicius Jr reacted angrily to being substituted by manager Alonso, storming down the tunnel before returning to the bench.
The Brazilian was later involved in a heated exchange between players from both sides, prompting Spanish police to intervene and prevent a full-scale brawl.
Real moved to 27 points at the top of the La Liga standings, five ahead of Barcelona in second.
On Saturday, Villarreal earned a 2-0 derby win at Valencia on Saturday to move into third place.
Gerard Moreno and Santi Comesana netted for Villarreal in an east coast derby clash at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium to keep the top two in their sights.
Meanwhile, Espanyol climbed provisionally fourth in La Liga with a 1-0 win over promoted Elche, to celebrate their 125th anniversary in style.
Elsewhere, Borja Mayoral’s second-half goal earned Getafe a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao, while Real Oviedo rescued a 3-3 draw at Girona in a battle between the bottom two sides.
Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2025
