playAlex Kirkland and Sam MarsdenMultiple AuthorsOct 25, 2026, 07:07 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsBARCELONA, Spain — Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid stunned Barcelona 2-1 at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday to end the Catalan side’s perfect start to the season. Mbappé struck the winner in the 87th minute after good work from Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga as Madrid cut the gap between themselves and league leaders Barça to three points.Madrid had gone into the game as underdogs given the two teams’ respective starts to the campaign but silenced the home fans just before the break when Mbappé capitalized on a Gerard Martín error.Barça fought back in the second half. Raphinha’s 15th goal of the campaign drew them level from a well-worked corner in the 61st minute, and from there they pushed for a winner.Andriy Lunin, in for the ill Thibaut Courtois in Madrid’s goal, made a fine stop from a Martín header and Lamine Yamal whisked wide from distance. However, Madrid remained a threat on the break, and they sealed all three points late on when Bellingham and Camavinga combined after Gabriel Jesus lost the ball to tee up a tap in for Mbappé.Madrid move on to 24 points from their 10 games this season, one behind second-placed Atlético Madrid and three back from leaders Barça, whose nine-game winning streak in the league is now over. — Sam MarsdenMourinho blows title race wide openJosé Mourinho had insisted prematch that this Clásico wouldn’t deliver a verdict on whether his Madrid team can win things this season.
The answer was already clear, he said, with no further proof required: “Madrid with Mourinho wins trophies.”A Clásico win isn’t a trophy. There’s a long way to go between now and May, but this was a huge test for Mourinho’s Madrid: their biggest game yet, away from home, against the — until the full-time whistle blew — unbeaten LaLiga leaders. And it’s a test Madrid passed, superbly.They were competitive throughout, well organized and structured out of possession, and always dangerous on the counterattack. This was Mourinho’s Madrid, the kind of team that had only shown itself in flashes this season, now fully formed.”I think it was a great game,” Mourinho said after the match.
“A game at a high level, a game that the world which loves football stopped to see. And they weren’t let down, with two teams that played to win.”In our case, the boys played an extraordinary game, well organized, focused, with a lot of courage, playing an opponent that presses you a lot. … For me it’s a great victory for the boys, against a great opponent.”Mourinho got everything right. His team selection delivered, with the coach’s key decisions — Bernardo Silva as a surprise partner for Aurélien Tchouaméni in central midfield, Arda Güler,outstanding again on the right, and Federico Valverde at right back until he was forced off injured — paying off.Barcelona dominated possession, and had more shots, but they didn’t create more danger.
Madrid had three big chances to Barça’s two, and ended the game with an expected goals (xG) of 1.95, to Barça’s 1.19.Even in the moments when Barça were well on top, Madrid were a threat, with Mbappé, Bellingham and Yan Diomande ready to burst into space. Even Mourinho’s substitutions paid off, with Camavinga, introduced after 80 minutes, crucial to Mbappé’s second goal.There’ve been plenty of doubts about Mourinho’s return, 13 years later. But this was a performance, and a result, that can act as a powerful argument in his favor.His first Clásico in charge of Madrid in his first spell, in November 2010, was a 5-0 drubbing. Sunday night’s game couldn’t have been more different. — Alex KirklandRaphinha can’t overcome Yamal’s off dayIt’s been a miserable week for Barça, who followed up defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League with a loss against their bitter rivals.
It had long been marked in the calendar as a week when the team’s true level would be tested after opening the campaign with 11 consecutive wins across all competitions.It had looked like they would bounce back from disappointment in Paris when Raphinha leveled. The Brazil international injured his hamstring on international duty this month and missed the wins against Getafe and Galatasaray, but returned against Real Betis last weekend and started against PSG.He wasn’t at his best against Madrid, but he grew into the game in his now-customary No. 9 role. He flashed a chance set up by Anthony Gordon just wide in the first half and took his goal clinically after the break. His scoring record as a striker this season is phenomenal.
He has 13 LaLiga goals through 10 games. The last Barça player to manage those numbers? Lionel Messi in 2012-13.From there, it looked like Barça, with the force of the home crowd behind them, would kick on. But it didn’t quite happen.Eyes will inevitably be drawn to Yamal.
The teenager could not quite come up with a big-game moment in the Clásico. He squandered a great chance to equalize on the stroke of halftime and never quite managed to get the better of Spain teammate Marc Cucurella, who also kept him scoreless as a Chelsea player last season.Yamal kept going, summoning the crowd’s support when he could. They responded with derogatory chants for Cucurella — a Barça academy graduate — but it was not to be Yamal’s day. He almost created something from nothing with 10 minutes to go, but his strike from distance dipped the wrong side of the post. — MarsdenDiomande makes sure Madrid don’t miss ViniIn added time, with seconds left in the match and Madrid defending their 2-1 lead, Diomande was substituted.Finding himself on the far side of the pitch, he took a long, long walk around the Camp Nou, past the home fans, to get to the bench.
He looked exhausted, and it was no surprise.Diomande had had more touches (66) than any Real Madrid player. He touched the ball almost twice as often as Mbappé (36) and Silva (34), and more than Bellingham (56) and Güler (60).It was a performance that confirmed Diomande’s arrival as a Real Madrid player. He didn’t score, but he provided the cross for Mbappé’s fortunate opener, he ran constantly at Barça’s defense, and he was involved out of possession too, with six recoveries and three tackles.It was a performance that couldn’t have been more different than some of Vinícius Junior’s displays this season. Think back to Vinícius at AS Roma 11 days ago, touching the ball fewer than any teammate, barely involved, lacking confidence.Diomande is everything Vinícius used to be: relentlessly energetic and explosive.
With Vinícius absent through suspension, Diomande made sure the Brazilian wasn’t missed in the slightest. — KirklandBarça’s midfield was expected to boss Madrid. It didn’tFor the best part of an hour, Barça played into Madrid’s hands. Rodri was rested in midweek against PSG to guarantee he would be fit to play this match, allowing the former Manchester City man and Pedri to control the game from midfield. That never quite happened.Barça were uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at times, especially in the first half.
In a match that required game management and patience, they often appeared in a rush. And when they lost the ball, Madrid were immediately ready to look in behind and hit them on the counterattack. It created a fascinating affair to watch, albeit maybe not for Barça coach Hansi Flick.”In general, we didn’t play well,” Pedri said after the match. “We were not ourselves in the first half.
There are a lot of things we could have done better. We got back on level terms in the second halt but did not defend the second goal well — from a transition, as well, which we knew they could do.”No one saw more of the ball than Rodri and Pedri. Rodri had 105 touches and attempted 96 passes; Pedri had 96 touches and attempted 88 passes. Yet both of them had a pass completion rate of less than 90%, which is atypical for the pair.The
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