Barcelona came from behind to beat Real Madrid 4-3 in a thrilling 261st El Clásico, moving a big step closer to winning LaLiga. Having already beaten Madrid in the Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey finals, this win gives Barça a strong chance of completing a famous treble.
Real Madrid started fast, needing a win to catch up in the title race. They were awarded a penalty just five minutes in after Kylian Mbappé took advantage of a mistake by Pau Cubarsí and was brought down by Wojciech Szczęsny. Mbappé scored the spot-kick, even though Szczęsny got a hand to it. The French star added a second not long after, staying just onside to finish off a pass from Vinícius Júnior.
Barcelona responded well. Thibaut Courtois made saves from Lamine Yamal and Gerard Martín, but he couldn’t stop Eric García from scoring with a header after Ferran Torres flicked on Dani Olmo’s corner. Barça kept attacking – Ferran missed a good chance, and Yamal had another shot saved. But the 17-year-old wasn’t to be denied, curling a brilliant first-time strike into the bottom corner.
Shortly after, a mix-up between Mbappé and Dani Ceballos allowed Raphinha to race onto Pedri’s pass and beat Courtois, turning the game around in just 15 minutes. Raphinha then struck again, stealing the ball from Lucas Vázquez and scoring to make it 4-2. Real Madrid thought they had won another penalty before half-time, but it was overturned.
Before the break, Mbappé had another goal ruled out for offside. Carlo Ancelotti made two changes at half-time, but Barça stayed on top. Yamal had a goal ruled out too, as Raphinha was offside in the build-up. Mbappé went close again before finally completing his hat-trick after Vinícius set him up with a cross.
Raphinha missed a chance to score his third, and both Yamal and Ferran were denied. Late on, debutant Víctor Muñoz couldn’t find a way through, and another Real Madrid goal was disallowed for offside. Fermín López also had a goal ruled out for handball in the final minutes.
Barcelona held on to win and go seven points clear at the top of LaLiga. They now need just one more win from their final three games to secure the title and complete a historic treble. The victory also ended Real Madrid’s four-match winning run in the league.
