And just like that, the first El Clasico of 2025-26 is over. Xabi Alonso got the better of Hansi Flick, although the German wasn’t on the touchline, in a game filled with controversial moments, bust ups, and a few goals.
Real Madrid are now five points clear of Barcelona in the race for the La Liga title thanks two goals from superstars Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. It could, and probably should, have been more, however.
Alonso’s side burst out of the gates. Vinicius Jr thought he earned a penalty after just two minutes when the ref adjudged the Brazilian was fouled by Lamine Yamal. VAR had other ideas though, and the decision was overturned.
Mbappe hit the back of the net ten minutes later only to have his strike ruled out for offside. Thankfully for the Frenchman, he continued his fine scoring form shortly after, bagging the equaliser in the 22nd minute.
Fermin Lopez restorer parity in the 38th via an assist from Marcus Rashford, and Barcelona looked like they would go into the break level. Then, two minutes before half-time, Bellingham was in the right place at the right time to tap in and restore Madrid’s lead.
There weren’t any goals in the second half but there was plenty of talking points. Mbappe missed a penalty, Pedro saw red, and tensions boiled over after the final whistle. So, here are three things we learned.
Lamine Yamal’s fighting talk backfires
The young winger was full of bravado ahead of the game, accusing Real Madrid of cheating, telling Ibai Llanos, owner of Kings League side Porcinos FC on Twitch, “Yes, of course, they steal, they complain…”
When you say things like that, you have to back it up, instead, Yamal did nothing but provide motivation. The Spain international was largely anonymous during the game, having two shots, just three touches in the Real Madrid box, and six passes into the final third.
Then, once the final whistle blew, he was at the centre of a little disagreement between the two sets of players. Daniel Carvajal and Vinicus Jr both appeared to come up and tell him he talks too much, as some pushing and shoving ensued.
The future of El Clasico is English
Arguably both Real Madrid and Barcelona’s two best players today were English. Bellingham was the catalyst for the home side, providing the assist for Mbappe’s opener and scoring the winner, while Marcus Rashford starred for Barcelona.
Bellingham was everywhere for his side, not only contributing in an attacking sense, but putting in a shift defensively, ending the game having made three tackles, five recoveries, and was only dribbled past once.
As for Rashford, the assist for Lopez’s equaliser takes his goal contribution tally for the season up to ten across his 13 games across all competitions. He’s certainly appeared to have put Man United out of his mind.
Vinicius Jr won’t be in Xabi Alonso’s good books
The Brazilian had a great game, completing five dribbles, the most of any player, having 10 touches in the Barcelona box, and winning seven of his 11 ground duels, but all of that will be overshadowed by what happened when he was substituted.
In his defence, his 72nd minute substitution came as a shock to everyone in the stadium, but the way he threw his toys out of the pram, refusing to acknowledge his manager and deciding to head straight down the tunnel instead, won’t have pleased Alonso.
Vini’s future at Real Madrid remains up in the air, with contract talks having stalled due to his wage demands. Moments like this won’t do him any favours.