Spain: Barcelona stun Real Madrid
Real Madrid 0 - 4 Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski netted twice in just three minutes as La Liga leaders Barcelona swept aside Real Madrid in El Clasico, extending their lead over their fierce rivals to six points.
Real Madrid had been aiming to equal Barcelona’s league record of 43 consecutive unbeaten games, a milestone set between April 2017 and May 2018. However, those ambitions were shattered by a ruthless second-half performance from the visitors at the Bernabeu.
After a goalless first half, Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, coolly slotting home from a precise through ball by Marc Casado. The Polish striker doubled Barcelona’s advantage moments later, heading Alejandro Balde’s pinpoint cross into the right corner.
Lewandowski came close to securing a hat-trick, hitting the woodwork on one occasion and firing over from a promising position on another.
Spanish teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, at just 17, added Barcelona’s third with a brilliant strike into the top corner, becoming the youngest scorer in El Clasico history. Raphinha then rounded off the victory with a late lob, marking his first goal against Real Madrid.
Some fan reaction and what went wrong for Real Madrid
Luis, a Real Madrid fan in attendance at the match said: “When they scored those back-to-back goals, it took the energy out of the fans and the players. It will hurt for a while to lose a game and especially after going 42 games unbeaten. This team will throw everything at it to improve and there is a long way in the season to go."
There's then the issue for Real Madrid of Kylian Mbappe. He who made the switch to Spain this summer and isn’t new to facing Barcelona, having encountered them before during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Back in February 2021, he memorably scored a hat-trick at the Nou Camp in a 4-1 Champions League triumph. However, this time, he struggled to recreate that dazzling performance, finding himself repeatedly caught out by Barcelona’s offside trap.
By his lofty standards, Mbappe’s start in Spain has been somewhat subdued, with six goals to his name in La Liga so far. Notably, he went without a goal in his first three league appearances.
