Kylian Mbappé scored twice as José Mourinho’s Real Madrid stunned Barcelona 2-1 at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, ending the Catalan side’s perfect start to the season and blowing the LaLiga title race wide open. Mbappé struck the winner in the 87th minute after good work from Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga, cutting the gap to league leaders Barça to just three points.
Kylian Mbappé (Credits: ESPN)
Real Madrid Beat Barcelona 2-1 in El Clásico as Mbappé Scores Twice
Madrid went into the game as underdogs, given the two teams’ contrasting starts to the campaign, but silenced the home fans just before the break when Mbappé capitalised on a Gerard Martín error. Barcelona, who had won their first nine league games, fought back in the second half, with Raphinha’s 15th goal of the campaign drawing them level from a well-worked corner in the 61st minute.
From there Barça 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 flashed an effort wide from distance. Madrid, though, remained a threat on the break, and 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.
Mourinho’s Real Madrid Blow LaLiga Title Race Wide Open
The result vindicated Mourinho’s bold pre-match stance. Asked whether the Clásico would be a litmus test of whether his side could win titles, he had answered bluntly: “Real Madrid with Mourinho wins titles.” He also insisted that form counts for little in this fixture, drawing on 17 previous Clásicos as a manager, and argued it was unfair to judge a project only three months old against a Barcelona side that has played together for years.
Mourinho later hailed the win as the most complete display of his second spell at the club, praising Lunin for handling his chance with calm and confidence, saluting Federico Valverde for playing on through injury, and defending the decision to start Camavinga on the bench — a call that paid off when the Frenchman’s introduction gave Madrid more bite on the counter. He did, however, criticise VAR for failing to act on João Cancelo’s challenge on Yan Diomande, which he felt deserved a red card.
The standings now make fascinating reading. Madrid move on to 24 points from 10 games, one behind second-placed Atlético Madrid and three back from leaders Barça, whose nine-game winning streak in the league is over. A Clásico win is not a trophy, and there is a long way to go until May — but Mourinho’s Madrid have passed their biggest test yet, away from home, against the unbeaten leaders.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
