Real Madrid’s strep hangover from defeats by heated rivals Barcelona finally broke when it made the most dramatic and crucial 2-1 victory in El Clásico’s first attempt of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Rising stars Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham went about their business doing the business against the Catalan visitors for what amounts to manager Xabi Alonso on a significant triumph that sends out a loud message in the La Liga title race.
It also made it a six-point cushion from Madrid over the rest of the table in exhibition bragging rights and sanity after four straight Clásico defeats to their arch-rivals across all competitions. Clash of styles and personalities, the most emphatic early drama was a sending-off of a Barcelona player.
Bellingham and Mbappé: The New Galáctico Edge
The match was characterized by the sharp finishing of the new stars of the Bernabéu. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring with a great goal two minutes after the first quarter’s replay, taking advantage of speed and poise after a fantastic assist by Bellingham.
But Barcelona, who were reigning champions of the league, pulled one back in the 38th minute with a goal from Fermín López punishing defensive negligence that brought the game back to balance.
Just a little before halftime, however, the turning point came very much when Jude Bellingham tapped home from close range in the 43rd minute, expertly reacting to a loose ball from a set-piece situation. His contribution to both goals sealed Bellingham the man of the match award and proved what impact he had on the Los Blancos set-up.
Stateful Facts: Breaking Barcelona’s Grip
This victory was indeed very needed since the matches prior to these ones had gone heavily in favor of the Blaugrana. The last four times Real Madrid had played official matches with Barcelona, they had lost, and this was Barcelona’s victory-the last-four success periods-three of them from last season: a 4-0 walkover at the Bernabéu and then a 5-2 final match loss in the Supercopa.
Real Madrid thus settles for 27 points after ten matches-five ahead of Barcelona, now with 22 points sitting second. In the second half, Wojciech Szczesny saved a penalty from Mbappé, which added a spice to match, but hopes for Barcelona were crushed when Pedri was sent off in injury time with a second yellow card, adding a thrilling climax to arguably the greatest clash in the Spanish football calendar.
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
