Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on the evening of 25 October, Spanish time (03:00 on 26 October in Vietnam), in round 10 of La Liga. Kylian Mbappé scored both of Real’s goals, either side of a second-half equaliser from Raphinha, and according to VnExpress the double took the Frenchman to 100 goals for the club in all competitions.
The result ended Barcelona’s perfect league start. VnExpress reported that Hansi Flick’s side had won all nine of their La Liga games before kick-off, scoring 39 goals and opening a six-point lead over Real, and had won 23 home league matches in a row. The Guardian described the nine-game run as record-equalling and noted that this was the first time Barcelona had failed to win any game since returning to Camp Nou a year ago. It was also José Mourinho’s first clásico in charge of Real since 2013.
How Real won it
Real were without Thibaut Courtois, who had flu, so Andriy Lunin started in goal, Bóng Đá Plus reported. VnExpress described how Mourinho assigned Marc Cucurella to Lamine Yamal and had Jude Bellingham track Rodri, with Real breaking quickly towards Mbappé and their other quick players whenever they won the ball.
The opener came on 41 minutes. Cucurella released Yan Diomandé on the left, his low ball across was reached first by Gerard Martín, and the clearance struck Mbappé and went in past Joan García. “There was fortune there, but it had been worked for, not simply found,” Sid Lowe wrote in The Guardian.
Barcelona drew level around the hour from a short corner, with Pedri slipping the ball through for Raphinha to finish. VnExpress said it was the Brazilian’s 13th league goal of the season, keeping him top of the scoring chart. Real then lost Federico Valverde, who could not continue and was replaced by Denzel Dumfries (Bóng Đá Plus), and needed Lunin’s stop on the line from Martín’s header on 66 minutes, one of five saves he made, according to VnExpress.
The winner came in the closing minutes. Bellingham took the ball off Gabriel Jesus, Arda Güler combined with Eduardo Camavinga, who had replaced Bernardo Silva on 80 minutes, and Camavinga beat Pau Cubarsí before cutting the ball back for Mbappé to tap in. Mourinho celebrated with a knee slide. “The world that loves football will have stopped to watch this and they won’t have gone disappointed; this was two teams that played to win,” he said, as quoted by The Guardian.
The numbers
Barcelona had more of the ball and more shots, according to Bóng Đá Plus:
| Stat | Barcelona | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 62% | 38% |
| Shots | 18 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 5 |
| Corners | 6 | 6 |
| Fouls | 15 | 11 |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 3 |
VnExpress added that Barcelona’s expected goals figure of 1.19 was lower than Real’s, and that Real had 11 shots inside the box to Barcelona’s six. There were complaints late on as well: VnExpress noted that Camavinga stood on Rodri’s ankle without being booked and VAR did not intervene.
Mbappé’s 100
Per VnExpress, Mbappé’s goals at Camp Nou were his 99th and 100th for Real in 116 games since he joined on a free transfer from PSG in summer 2024: 67 in La Liga, 25 in the Champions League and 8 in other competitions. He scored 44 in his first season, 42 in his second and has 14 so far this season. That makes him the fourth-fastest player in the modern era to reach 100 goals for one club:
| Player | Club | Games to 100 goals |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | Bayern | 104 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 105 |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | 105 |
| Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | 116 |
| Luis Suárez | Barcelona | 120 |
Opta, cited by VnExpress, said Mbappé’s 8 goals in his first 7 clásicos for Real (6 in La Liga, 1 in a Copa del Rey final and 1 in the Spanish Super Cup) are the best return by any player in his first seven clásicos this century, ahead of Lionel Messi’s 6. Mbappé himself said the milestone was a small detail next to the team’s win.
What’s next
Barcelona remain top, but three points clear rather than the nine a win would have given them; Bóng Đá Plus has Real third on 24 points. It is a second straight defeat for Flick’s team after their Champions League loss to PSG, and VnExpress argued that the high defensive line behind their strong start can become a weakness against forwards with Mbappé’s pace. Mourinho moved quickly to keep his players grounded: “I’m not going to let them have their heads on the moon,” he said, according to The Guardian. Read our preview: Barcelona – Real Madrid: Rodri and Gordon await their first El Clásico.