Real Madrid Beat Barcelona 2-1 as Mbappe Scores Twice
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou thanks to a Kylian Mbappe double and a Raphinha goal, in Jose Mourinho's first Clasico since his return.
Real Madrid snatched an important 2-1 win away at arch-rivals Barcelona on Sunday evening at Camp Nou, in the 10th round of the Spanish league, thanks to a brace from French forward Kylian Mbappe (41', 87'), against a single goal from Brazilian Raphinha for Barcelona (61').
The win came in the first Clasico led by Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho since his return to Real Madrid's bench, ending a run of Catalan dominance, as Barcelona had won six of the last seven meetings between the two sides. Real Madrid played the match without forward Vinicius Junior, suspended after a red card received two weeks earlier, and without Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, out with flu, with Mourinho handing the gloves to Ukrainian Andriy Lunin. Barcelona, led by German coach Hansi Flick, were missing Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo and defender Andreas Christensen.
In the closing minutes of the first half, young Spanish winger Lamine Yamal missed an easy chance for Barcelona, while Lunin made a save to deny a header from Spaniard Rodri before the break. In the second half, Raphinha equalised for Barcelona in the 61st minute, before Mbappe scored the winner for Real Madrid in the 87th minute from a pass by French teammate Eduardo Camavinga.
| Team | Score | Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 2 | Kylian Mbappe (41', 87') |
| Barcelona | 1 | Raphinha (61') |
What the result means for the standings
The win cuts the gap between the two sides in the Liga standings to just three points in Barcelona's favour, as the Catalans suffered their first league defeat of the season. The match also marked the first direct meeting between Mourinho and Flick at the helm of the two clubs since the Portuguese coach's return to the Spanish capital. Elsewhere in round 10, Athletic Bilbao beat Getafe 4-0, Real Sociedad defeated Levante 2-1, and Celta Vigo drew 0-0 with Real Betis.