Bellingham Scores Clásico Winner As Real Madrid Pull Clear Of Barcelona

The timepiece successful Santiago Bernabéu showed 98min 40sec erstwhile Pedri picked up nan shot connected nan separator of his area and went connected nan last tally of an exhausting afternoon. Here possibly was 1 past chance to get something, nan Barcelona midfielder someway hauling himself up nan pitch; instead, arsenic he reached nan different area, a tired, loose touch, a hopeless lunge to get it back, saw him return retired Aurélien Tchouaméni – nan world upside down – and get sent off. And truthful nan clásico was over, barroom nan shouting and nan pushing.

There was plentifulness of that, players squaring past and again erstwhile nan whistle astatine past went a fewer seconds later, Thibaut Courtois and Lamine Yamal, Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha, who wasn’t moreover playing, confronting each other. But it was Madrid who celebrated. They had gone astatine it for complete an hr past conscionable astir controlled it. The fixture that ne'er lets you down, nan crippled pinch only 1 0-0 tie successful much than 50 meetings, was 105 minutes long, delivered 38 shots, 3 goals scored, 3 much disallowed, a punishment fixed and taken distant again and different saved.

It besides successful nan extremity delivered a caller winner, Madrid beating Barcelona 5 clásicos later. First-half goals goals from Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, Fermín López’s onslaught for Barcelona not capable for a comeback, nan roar astatine nan extremity conscionable nan latest successful a deafening corporate of them going backmost to nan very beginning.

When Madrid scored nan first of nan day’s 3 goals, it was nan 3rd clip this stadium had erupted; nan quality now, 20 minutes into a wild, aggravated and noisy first half, was that nan celebrations were not trim short by nan video adjunct referee. They had been playing conscionable a infinitesimal and 57 seconds erstwhile César Soto Grado pointed to nan spot only to beryllium called to nan surface wherever yet he saw that it had successful truth been Vinícius Júnior, moving into nan area and swiping astatine a shot, who had made interaction pinch Lamine Yamal, not nan different measurement round.

Less than 10 minutes aft that, 1 loose touch had been capable for Arda Guler to scope successful and nudge nan shot to Mbappé, who watched nan shot bounce up successful beforehand of him and sent it flying beyond Szczesny and into nan net. On nan touchline, Xabi Alonso leaped into nan arms of Dani Carvajal. Again, though, nan replay rescued Barcelona, Mbappé offside. The schematic showed conscionable really tight it had been but different opportunities followed; this was open, frantic, nan champion chances coming erstwhile Madrid were capable to run, which they did often.

Barcelona were incapable to workout overmuch power and didn’t look astatine each comfortable erstwhile they were pushed back, which happened often. Nor did they look that unafraid stepping up, nan abstraction down them opening: nan timing of that statement is not what it erstwhile was, nor is nan unit applied connected nan passer.

When nan breakthrough came, erstwhile nan statement was breached, it was Bellingham who did it. Turning superbly distant from Pedri, he slotted nan shot done nan Barcelona defence. Mbappé, who this clip group disconnected down Pau Cubarsí, dashed done and scored. A large wind had started and Barcelona were struggling to find a spot to shelter: they couldn’t support nan shot aliases slow nan game.

They couldn’t moreover really find an outlet, sending Lamine Yamal into abstraction to create thing aliases let them to breathe. The 18-year-old, whistled throughout, had almost nary beingness astatine all. With nan teen watched closely, erstwhile Barcelona were released, it tended to beryllium connected nan different broadside aliases consecutive done nan middle.

From nan separator of nan area, Bellingham’s changeable was deflected wide. Fede Valverde struck complete from 25 yards. Mbappé was stopped by Szczesny. Tchouaméni’s beautiful clipped shot recovered Álvaro Carreras coming successful astatine nan acold post, nan Polish keeper redeeming again. And Eric García had to descent successful to extremity Mbappé racing clear erstwhile more. All that wrong 9 minutes. They would beryllium followed by different opportunity for Vinícius Júnior and 1 for Bellingham, some saved.

Kylian Mbappé celebrates putting Real Madrid 1-0 up against Barcelona. Photograph: Bernat Armangué/AP

And yet, Barcelona abruptly had a awesome chance, García carrying to nan area and providing for Ferran Torres, adjacent nan punishment spot, only for nan shot to sewage caught nether his feet and nan changeable was weak, easy saved. Then, almost arsenic soon, they were level. Guler, put nether pressure, mislaid it and Pedri, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Balde and Rashford again group up Fermín to finish, moving to salute successful nan north-east corner. It was Rashford’s seventh assistance of nan season. Barcelona mightiness moreover person led too, but Pedri of each group chose poorly arsenic they rushed up nan pitch.

Immediately, it was Madrid’s chance to tally done consecutive disconnected a Barcelona corner, Pedri hanging connected to Vinícius Júnior’s shirt, hopeless for him not to escape. He wasn’t nan only 1 struggling to support up pinch this; that went for nan full stadium. The break did bring reward too: pinch Éder Militão and Dean Huijsen still up from nan free-kick, Madrid took nan lead erstwhile Vinícius Júnior hit Jules Koundé and played a long, looping transverse which seemed to beryllium overhit but was headed backmost crossed by Militão. Waiting by nan statement to score, successful that striking domiciled that made specified a prima of him successful his first play successful Spain, was Bellingham.

Barcelona’s Pedri was sent disconnected successful nan 10th infinitesimal of stoppage time. Photograph: Ángel Martínez/Getty Images

Mbappé scored what mightiness person been nan 3rd but first he was offside conscionable earlier nan break – intelligibly this clip – and then, erstwhile García handled early successful nan 2nd half, his punishment was superb saved. This wan’t showing immoderate motion of slowing down, nan spaces still wide, and up astatine nan different extremity Fermín wasted different corporate tally done nan mediate erstwhile he chose to spell it unsocial and coiled his changeable consecutive astatine Thibaut Courtois.

An hr had gone and astatine past immoderate of nan frenzy had a small too, intolerable to support nan intensity. Bit by bit, Barcelona sewage nan ball. Bit by bit, Lamine Yamal came into nan game, 1 walk pinch nan extracurricular of his ft almost uncovering Torres. Which didn’t really lead to them creating chances, Alonso guiding his squad towards patiently containing this, and didn’t extremity Madrid being invited into nan abstraction beyond Barcelona.

Brahim Díaz, conscionable connected for Guler, group up Bellingham to find nan net, but nan emblem was up again, a 3rd “goal” disallowed. Mbappé had 2 chances to run, too: nan first pinch 10 minutes to spell was yet stopped by Ronald Araújo, nan 2nd saw him propulsion wide pinch 3 minutes left. Still location was more: a glorious shot from Lamine Yamal should person levelled it only for Koundé, unsocial successful nan area, to beryllium incapable to power connected his chest, Rodrygo was doubly denied by Szczesny and past Pedri went disconnected connected 1 past run.