Barcelona moved closer to clinching the league title after coming from two goals down to defeat Real Madrid in an exciting Clasico. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick for Real Madrid, but it was not enough to secure a victory.
Real Madrid quickly took a 2-0 lead, with Mbappe scoring twice within the first 14 minutes. However, Barcelona responded strongly, scoring four goals before halftime. Eric Garcia and Lamine Yamal each contributed one goal, while Raphinha netted two.
Mbappe added another goal with 20 minutes remaining, bringing his total to 39 for the season across all competitions—the highest ever by a Real Madrid player in their debut season. Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez had a goal disallowed for handball in a dramatic finish to the match.
With this victory, Barcelona now sits seven points ahead of their arch-rivals with three games remaining.
Hansi Flick kept an unchanged Barcelona lineup after their exhausting Champions League semi-final loss to Inter Milan earlier in the week. In the opening stages, Barca appeared sluggish.
Mbappe opened the scoring by converting a penalty after being tackled by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. He added a second goal shortly afterward, running onto a through ball from Vinicius Junior and exploiting Barcelona’s high defensive line.
As the Frenchman celebrated, he likely did not anticipate what was about to unfold at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.
Eric Garcia halved the deficit with a header from a corner in the 19th minute, and Lamine Yamal then showcased his talent by curling an exquisite shot into the bottom corner of Thibaut Courtois’ net.
Barcelona relentlessly pressed Real Madrid and took the lead less than two minutes later when Raphinha found himself in space on the left side of the box. After Mbappe and Lucas Vazquez collided under pressure, Raphinha fired a shot past Courtois.
Despite heading over Yamal’s cross moments earlier, Raphinha scored by converting Ferran Torres’ cut-back after intercepting possession from Vazquez. Earlier, Mbappe thought he had won a penalty, but a VAR review determined that Jude Bellingham was marginally offside.
Barcelona began the second half as they ended the first—Raphinha sprinted into the Real Madrid half and passed to Yamal for what seemed like a tap-in, but Raphinha was correctly flagged offside.
Real Madrid appeared to be tiring when Mbappe completed his hat-trick from close range, putting him ahead in the race for the La Liga golden boot. Meanwhile, Raphinha missed a crucial chance from just a few yards out.
Victor Munoz, a 21-year-old substitute for Real Madrid, squandered a scoring opportunity, shooting over the goal while going one-on-one. Mbappe then forced Szczesny into a sharp low save.
Fermin Lopez looked set to score a brilliant fifth goal for Barcelona, but VAR ruled it out for handball in the build-up.
Having already beaten Real Madrid in La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup final, and the Copa del Rey final this season, Barcelona matched the record they set in the 1982-83 season by winning four Clasicos in one campaign.
Real Madrid’s defensive struggles are evident, having conceded 16 goals in four Clasicos this season, highlighting their decline compared to Barcelona’s improvement over the past nine months.
Barcelona can secure the league title with a victory against their neighbors, Espanyol, on Thursday or if Real Madrid loses to Mallorca on Wednesday.
