Barcelona have moved one step closer to securing the La Liga title after a bonkers 4-3 victory over Real Madrid. The result moves Hansi Flick's men seven points clear atop the league and means that they could now win La Liga as soon as Wednesday, when Real Madrid face Mallorca. It's a result that seemed in doubt when Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the first 15 minutes en route to securing a hat trick, but Barcelona responded by scoring four unanswered goals to go ahead in the match.
It's the first time that a team has come back from trailing by two goals to win a Clasico since 1959, when Barcelona last accomplished the feat. Behind a hat trick of assists from Ferran Torres, brilliance from Lamine Yamal, and a brace from Raphinh, Barcelona completed a season sweep, winning four Clasicos over Real Madrid. With Real coach Carlo Ancelotti likely set to depart at the end of the season, it's a massive disappointment for Real Madrid to lose this, essentially ending their chase at the title, but for Barcelona, they'll feel it was a deserved result with the team rebounding after seeing their treble hopes end at the hands of Inter in Champions League.
Seven points clear atop La Liga, Barcelona can win the league as soon as Wednesday or by defeating Espanyol on Thursday. The defense left too much room for Real Madrid but even with allowing a hat trick, Barcelona took care of business in securing the win.
Victor Munoz enters with Vini Jr limping off the pitch and while there are a few minutes left in the clash, it'll be tough for Real Madrid to get this one back. Munoz's first kick of the game is smashing a chance at an equalizer wide.
Barcelona wanted one but it won't be given an unavoidable hand ball in the box. It was judged to be a natural movement and there's still a chance for a draw here.
Yamal creates another chance as he has been everywhere, and Raphinha blazes the chance over. It's quite a back-and-forth clash and this is something that could loom large.
Mbappe secures his hat trick and this isn't over. Barcelona will need another as their offside trap was beaten yet again. Real Madrid's defense has taken some pressure off of how poorly Barcelona has defended during the match but they have allowed too many chances too.
Alejandro Balde returns to action as he and Andreas Christensen enter the match for Gerard Martin and Pau Cubarsi to provide fresh legs in the clash.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal were through on goal and the flag was raised when the ball went into the back of the net. More worry for Real Madrid's defense as the second half of play is beginning much like the first ended.
Two changes have been made with Luka Modric and Brahim Diaz entering for Dani Ceballos and Arda Guler. This will help a midfield that was disjointed in the first half but even that may not be enough.
And it's time to take a breath. We're halfway to matching the highest-scoring Clasico ever, which produced 12 goals. Also, Barcelona could become the first team to trail by two goals and win a Clasico since 1959 which was also done by them. Luka Modric could be getting ready to come on in the second half of play, but that alone won't be enough to help Madrid's defense, which has been all over the place so far.
Barcelona got another one as Lucas Vazquez imploded and Raphinha was clear in on goal. The Brazilian wouldn't miss and this is now four unanswered goals for Barcelona. Something needs to change in the second half but it'll be too late by then.
Jude Bellingham was offside in the build up so that'll take care of things, but it's a warning sign for Barcelona that they'll want more goals to take care of this one.
Mbappe was fouled again this time by Frenkie de Jong, it will be reviewed by VAR but at first glance, it doesn't seem like Mbappe was touched.
This game has been played at quite a pace in the early going between this duo. Clasico's don't disappoint and this has been no different. As things stand, Barcelona is set to go seven points clear atop La Liga, which would give them a chance to win the league as soon as midweek if Real Madrid fails to win against Mallorca, but there's plenty left to happen in the clash.
And now it's Raphinha, and Real Madrid's defense is being cut to shreds. Barcelona can't be stopped going forward and a mix up in the Real Madrid midfield made things easy to take care of and Barcelona has scored three unanswered goals in only 16 minutes.
Deficit? What deficit. Barcelona's level and its that man Lamine Yamal! He's establishing himself as one of the best players in the world at only 17 and there's nothing anyone can do to stop him from doing it.
Pandimonium in Barcelona! Eric Garcia has found the back of the net now after Barcelona's attempts from outside the box led to a corner kick. It was too easy for Ferran Torres to play him on and Barcelona's right back in this, with three goals between the two sides in only 20 minutes of play.
Lamine Yamal is finding the game and looking to make things happen. It has been a rough start from Barcelona but they're beginning to sting Thibaut Courtois' palms from outside the box.
It's the Kylian Mbappe show and he now has two goals. Dispossessing Lamine Yamal, there was too much space for Mbappe to move into and he wouldn't miss the chance with a brace in only 15 minutes of play. This is quite a start to the match.
It's Kylian Mbappe from the spot after Szczesny's mistake. It wasn't the greatest penalty by the Frenchman but it eluded Szczesny's gloves, giving Real Madrid the lead only five minutes into the match.
Fouls have already been exchanged by both sides and the tension can be felt in the match. Mbappe was fouled in the box by Barcelona's keeper Wojciech Szczesny, but he may have been offside in the build up.
The stage is set for this La Liga clash.
It is not out of the question for Real Madrid to reverse course on their lopsided record against Barcelona this season, especially considering what's at stake. Barcelona's defensive woes, though, are something they have in common with their opposition – Ancelotti's side will be without Rudiger, likely forcing Aurelien Tchouameni to play makeshift center back yet again alongside the fairly inexperienced Raul Ascensio, which could complicate matters.
Even if the defensive messes balance each other out, Barcelona still have the edge in attack. No matter the individual quality on Madrid's roster, they have not found a way to make it all click just yet. As for Barcelona, they have been able to score goals without Lewandowski – 12 in five games, to be exact – and as long as they are up for the task, they should be able to demonstrate their strengths once again on Sunday. Pick: Barcelona 3, Real Madrid 1
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona: Lamine Yamal is quickly becoming the default answer to prompts like this one, finding a way at just 17 years old to become the foundation for Barcelona's success. Flick's side may be without Lewandowski for much of this game, but the last few weeks have offered the latest reminder that Yamal is more than capable of leading the team's attacking plans, both by setting up the teammates in front of him and by getting his own name on the scoresheet. He has 15 goals and 20 assists this season, including two in each category in the three Clasicos so far this season. The teenager will be especially helpful since Barcelona's biggest weakness is their porous defense, an issue they can usually survive because they generally outscore the opposition, Real Madrid included – they have scored their rivals 12 to four so far this campaign.
These two met up just two weeks ago in Seville for the Copa del Rey final, which Barcelona won in a dramatic 3-2 match. Pedri gave Barcelona the lead in the 28th minute, but second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni meant Real Madrid had the lead by the 77th minute. Just seven minutes later, though, Ferran Torres scored and set the game to extra time. The final goal of the game came with just four minutes left on the clock courtesy of Jules Kounde, while the match ended with a fracas as several Real Madrid players disagreed with a refereeing decision. Jude Bellingham, Lucas Vazquez, and Antonio Rudiger were all sent off at the end of the game, while Rudiger received a six-match ban for throwing an object at the referee and is currently two matches into that suspension.
Barcelona's striker will only be fit for the bench but they have plenty of attacking power in the squad to cope with that.
Barcelona: Wojciech Szczesny, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Gerard Martin, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Ferran Torres
Antonio Rudiger is suspended for the remainder of the season, leaving Real Madrid with a tough job at the back. Arda Guler will also face pressure on the wing in the absence of Rodrygo for Los Blancos.
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Aurelien Tchouameni, Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Dani Ceballos, Federico Valverde, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
While he did return to the bench midweek, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski will only be fit for the bench in this clash with Ferran Torres leading the line for Barcelona. Facing Real Madrid's patchwork defense in the final Clasico of the season, there will be chances for the Barcelona attack but their high line will also need to focus on not being caught out during the match. Inter was able to exploit that, which can give hope to Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
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