Jude Bellingham’s goal on Sunday helped Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 to win a tense El Clasico and move five points clear of their bitter rivals at the top of Spanish La Liga.
Champions Barcelona won all four times the teams were pitted against each other last season, but in his first El Clasico as Real Madrid coach, Xabi Alonso snapped that run.
Kylian Mbappe, who later missed a penalty, fired Madrid in front, and although Fermin Lopez leveled for the visitors at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham netted a second for the hosts before halftime which proved decisive.
Photo: AFP
Barca playmaker Pedri was sent off in the final stages for a second yellow card as tensions spilled over in the Spanish capital.
Madrid’s victory means they have won nine of their opening 10 league games, and Alonso’s side proved against Barca they can triumph on the big occasion, following their derby humbling by Atletico Madrid last month.
“We did what we had to do, the game plan,” Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said. “Against Atletico we didn’t play how we wanted, and today we had another chance to show what we can do, and we have to continue like this.”
Hansi Flick’s Barca were led on the touchline by his assistant Marcus Sorg, as the German coach was suspended following a red card last weekend as they scraped a victory over relegation-battling Girona.
“The season is long, we have 28 more games, and we’re not scared about the situation now,” Sorg said after the defeat.
Barcelona were without several regular starters, including Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, while Lamine Yamal still does not appear fully fit after a groin injury, but started.
The teenager wound up Madrid fans in the week by claiming Los Blancos “steal” and “complain,” and his name was greeted with a chorus of jeers when read out before kickoff.
Barcelona had more of the ball in the first half, but it was largely sterile possession, and Madrid created the most dangerous opportunities.
The hosts were awarded an early penalty when Yamal appeared to bring down Vinicius Junior. However, it was canceled after a video assistant referee review as it was the Brazilian who initiated the contact.
Madrid fans’ ire at the officials grew when Mbappe blasted home from outside the area, but the goal was ruled out for a millimetric offside against the French superstar.
Mbappe did not have long to wait before he could celebrate in earnest, after superb work by Bellingham sent him through on goal.
The forward, the division’s top goalscorer, netted his 11th league goal of the campaign with a lethal low finish past Wojciech Szczesny.
The goalkeeper made a good save from Dean Huijsen while Bellingham and Fede Valverde went close as Madrid took control.
Szczesny stopped efforts from Vinicius and Bellingham again, and it was against the run of play when Barcelona equalized.
Arda Guler gave away possession in a dangerous area and Marcus Rashford, playing in his first Clasico, crossed for Lopez to blast the visitors level in the 38th minute.
Bellingham struck Madrid’s second five minutes later to give Los Blancos a deserved advantage at the interval.
The England international, who scored his first goal at the Bernabeu since April in midweek against Juventus, gleefully tapped home after Eder Militao nodded Vinicius’ cross back into his path.
Madrid should have extended their lead at the start of the second half, but Szczesny made a fine save to push out Mbappe’s penalty, after Eric Garcia was penalized for handball.
Yamal, frustrated and struggling to make an impact on the game, sent a long-range shot high over the bar as Madrid closed ranks and kept the Catalans at a safe distance from their goal.
Madrid looked the more threatening in the final stages despite Barca needing to score, able to bring on Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Diaz, while Barca had little in the way of attacking reinforcements.
Sorg sent defender Ronald Araujo up front during nine minutes of stoppage time after he netted the winner as a makeshift striker against Girona, but the centerback could not trouble Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Pedri was sent off in the final seconds for a second yellow card for a late foul on Tchouameni, sparking a brief sideline shoving match, while players from both sides rowed after the final whistle.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday turned tennis heartbreak into history by becoming the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final with her thrilling 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova at the Madrid Open, as Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei exited in the women’s doubles quarter-finals. The Russian-born Austrian, who lost in qualifying last week, has capitalized on her unexpected main draw entry and stunned former world No. 1 Pliskova in a roller-coaster clash despite squandering three match points. Potapova’s run has included impressive victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. Asked if she had thought
RSS