At the end of a boiling Clasico, Kylian Mbappé’s Real Madrid, still a scorer, took advantage of FC Barcelona’s defensive weaknesses on Sunday to win (2-1) and take the lead in La Liga.
It’s a little revenge for the Madrid giant, after four painful defeats last season. And perhaps already a turning point, in the La Liga season.
On its lawn at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Real (1st, 27 points) widened the gap in the lead by pushing back its eternal rival, reigning champion, to five lengths, thanks to Mbappé once again decisive (22nd, 1-0) even if he missed the ball of the double from the penalty spot (52nd), and to the Englishman Jude Bellingham (43rd).
This first Clasico ended as it began: in chaos, and controversy, one more, after Pedri’s logical red card for a second yellow (90th+9), followed by two scuffles, symbols of the ambient tension.
This fiery context around the arbitration, which he had nevertheless participated in generating, seemed to carry away the young Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, copiously whistled and author of a performance to forget.
From the second minute of play, the 18-year-old winger almost ruined his team by conceding a penalty for a clumsy foul on Vinicius Junior in the area, finally canceled after the intervention of the video referee (2nd).
Obviously not 100% physically after recurring pubic pain, Yamal tried to respond to the whistles – and the criticism – but his shots fled the target (9th, 64th), without danger for Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Barça caught in its own trap
Systematically on a defensive edge with its very high line to play the offside trap, Barça was punished by a daring 20-meter volley from Mbappé, even though he had taken control of the game (12th).
But this goal was also canceled for an offside kick, depriving the French striker of a «great goal» who made the Bernabéu roar.
Faced with a suffering Catalan defense, Mbappé, launched in depth by Jude Bellingham, did not tremble against Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to open the scoring, for good (22nd, 1-0), scoring his eleventh goal of the season in La Liga.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper, starting in the absence of Joan Garcia and Marc-André ter Stegen, then allowed Hansi Flick’s men, suspended, to stay in the match by interposing several times in front of Mbappé (29th), Dean Huijsen (30th), Vinicius (34th) and Bellingham (37th).
The Catalans, even deprived of several major players, including Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, remained faithful to their idea of attacking play and were rewarded, the Spanish midfielder Fermin Lopez taking advantage of a loss of ball from the young Arda Güler to equalize (38th 1-1).
Beaten in the air twice in the same action, they were quickly brought back to earth, betrayed again by their defensive wanderings, leaving Bellingham alone in front of goal on a Vinicius cross headed by Eder Militao (43rd, 2-1).
The Blaugranas, in agony like Jules Koundé facing “come”managed to return at half-time trailing only 2-1, after another offside goal from Mbappé (45th) and a saving tackle from Cubarsi in front of the Brazilian (45th+6).
The captain of the Blues had the break point after returning from the locker room on a penalty for a handball from Eric Garcia, but he came up against Szczesny, author of a superb save (52nd) to keep the reigning champion alive.
The Merengue supporters, who cheered him when he left in the 90th minute, quickly forgave him. Because he ensured the essential: to score once again, and to emerge victorious from this global shock, finally.
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