Madrid, Oct 27 (AP) Real Madrid has finally overcome its recent struggles against Barcelona in a gripping clasico that saw tensions flare between the players after the final whistle.
Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham both found the net as Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the first clasico of the season on Sunday, thus ending a four-game losing streak against their Catalan rival. This triumph has now widened Madrid's league lead over Barcelona to five points after 10 rounds.
A scuffle ensued among the bench players of both teams after Barcelona's Pedri was sent off just moments before the final whistle. The altercation continued post-match, involving Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior and Barcelona's star forward Lamine Yamal — who was effectively managed by Madrid's defenders throughout the game.
"It was the moment and the tension from both teams," Madrid coach Xabi Alonso explained. "The tension is part of an important match and a close result. We shouldn't overanalyze these moments of tension. All sorts of things have happened in clasicos." Vinícius and Yamal had a couple of verbal exchanges during the game, with Vinícius making gestures to suggest Yamal was being overly talkative.
"Talk is cheap," Bellingham remarked on Instagram after the match, calling it "a magnificent performance from the whole team." "This victory is also for the fans," he told Real Madrid TV, adding, "Last year, we played poorly in the major games, but today this victory was for everyone." Yamal, along with Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and defender Dani Carvajal, also got involved in a post-match altercation.
Madrid's reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was dismissed following the post-match fracas, and Vinícius received a yellow card. Vinícius was visibly displeased when he was substituted for Rodrygo in the 72nd minute, initially heading straight to the locker room before returning to the bench soon after.
"All coaches understand that there are different personalities," Alonso acknowledged. "For now, we'll savor the victory, and in due time, we'll address these issues in the dressing room, of course." Mbappé's Impact
French forward Mbappé, who failed to convert a penalty in the second half, put Madrid ahead midway through the first half. This came after a VAR reversal of a penalty-kick decision, and an initial goal for the hosts was nullified during the first 15 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Mbappé scored in the 22nd minute after receiving an assist from Bellingham. Barcelona equalized courtesy of Fermín López in the 38th minute, but Bellingham scored the match-winner in the 43rd minute. Mbappé’s penalty attempt was saved by Barcelona’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 52nd minute.
Madrid has notched victories in 12 of its 13 matches this season, with the only setback being a 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid in September's Spanish league game.
This marked Barcelona's third setback of the season across all competitions. The team had also suffered a 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at home in the Champions League earlier this month and a 4-1 loss at Sevilla in the league.
Yamal was making just his third appearance after an injury layoff, and couldn’t find his rhythm against Madrid defender Álvaro Carreras throughout the encounter at the Bernabeu.
Mbappé, extending his lead in the league leaderboard, brought his tally to 11 goals through a breakaway, coolly placing the ball past Szczesny following a sharp pass from Bellingham. It marked his 16th goal in his previous 13 outings for club and country.
Rashford's Role Barcelona's equalizer arrived via a Madrid midfield error when Arda Guler lost possession near the area. This allowed Marcus Rashford to burst through the left side, assisting Fermín López for a simple close-range finish.
Five minutes later, Bellingham restored Madrid's lead by directing the ball into an open net near the goal line, following Madrid defender Éder Militão’s headed attempt after another impressive run and cross by Vinícius.
Bellingham, previously sidelined earlier in the season with a shoulder injury, scored his first goal of the season in Madrid's 1-0 triumph over Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday. He was also involved in the lead-up to Mbappé's missed penalty, stemming from a handball by Barcelona defender Eric García as he attempted to contain Bellingham in the box.
Additionally, Mbappé had a goal disallowed for offside in first-half stoppage time.
Early Penalty Reversal by VAR Madrid was initially awarded a penalty two minutes into the game when Vinícius was tripped inside the box. However, the decision was overturned upon video review. It revealed Vinícius had inadvertently kicked Yamal’s leg as he attempted a goal-bound shot. The referee first penalized Vinícius but reversed his decision after reviewing the footage.
Madrid fans erupted in joy when Mbappé’s long-range strike found the net around 10 minutes later, but VAR intervention saw the goal canceled as Mbappé was offside when he received the ball.
Pedri’s dismissal came deep into second-half stoppage time following a sliding tackle on Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Madrid's Redemption Real Madrid had suffered a 16-7 aggregate defeat across all clasicos last season. It was the first instance when Barcelona swept all clasicos within a season containing at least three encounters.
Barcelona arrived at this match with significant injury concerns in attack. Coach Hansi Flick observed from a stadium box after receiving a red card in the previous match's protest. Key striker Robert Lewandowski was sidelined with a hamstring problem, while forward Raphinha remained absent due to a right leg injury sustained in late September. Additionally, playmaker Dani Olmo and first-choice goalkeeper Joan García were ruled out due to injuries.
Raphinha, participating in the altercation at the match’s conclusion, had contributed five of Barcelona’s 16 goals in the previous season’s four matches against Madrid.
Other League Results Elsewhere, Mallorca drew 1-1 with Levante, Celta Vigo claimed a 3-2 win at Osasuna, courtesy of Pablo Duran’s 87th-minute winner. Rayo Vallecano defeated Alaves 1-0 with Alemão's stoppage-time goal.
(AP) ATK ATK
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
