Barcelona enjoyed considerably more possession and were particularly dominant in the second half. However, Hansi Flick’s side lacked purpose in the final third and made an unusually high number of misplaced passes. Real Madrid exploited the resulting counter-attacking opportunities to inflict Barcelona’s first league defeat of the season.
Barcelona hit by absences as Madrid prepare to counter
Flick was without several players, including defenders Jules Koundé and Eric García, while Dani Olmo was also sidelined through injury. Xavi Espart started at right-back, with Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín forming the central defensive partnership. Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Anthony Gordon and Raphinha made up Barcelona’s attacking unit.
José Mourinho also had important absentees to contend with. Thibaut Courtois was ruled out at short notice with flu, leaving Andriy Lunin to start in goal. Vinícius Júnior was unavailable through suspension, so Yan Diomande took his place on the left wing, with Mbappé leading the attack.
Barcelona aimed to stretch Madrid’s defence through sustained possession and advanced full-backs. The visitors adopted a more compact shape, looking to exploit the space behind Barcelona’s high defensive line whenever they regained possession.
Barcelona start on top before Madrid find their rhythm
The hosts controlled the opening 20 minutes. Pedri and Rodri dictated the tempo in midfield as Barcelona tried to work their way into the penalty area through wide combinations. Madrid looked unsettled early on, struggled to play through the press and rarely managed to keep possession for extended periods.
Barcelona’s attacks, however, frequently lacked a decisive final action. Rather than shooting early, the hosts repeatedly looked for an additional pass or attempted another dribble. Madrid were able to recover their defensive positions and gradually grew into the contest.
The visitors began to threaten through quick transitions. Diomande was particularly dangerous on the left, exploiting the space behind Barcelona’s defence, while Mbappé repeatedly troubled the centre-backs with runs in behind.
Flick was forced into his first substitution after half an hour when Espart suffered an injury and could not continue. Alejandro Balde replaced him. Barcelona still enjoyed the greater share of possession, but Madrid were increasingly successful at playing through the hosts’ pressing and launching attacks of their own.
Mbappé puts Madrid ahead on the counter
The breakthrough arrived in the 41st minute. Diomande accelerated down the left and delivered the ball into the penalty area. Gerard Martín attempted to clear, but his intervention struck Mbappé, who had timed his movement into the box well. The ball ricocheted off the Frenchman and into the net.
There was an element of fortune in the finish, but the goal originated from a well-executed counter-attack. Madrid had exploited the space on the right side of Barcelona’s defence, and Martín’s unsuccessful clearance proved costly.
Barcelona tried to respond before the interval but remained inaccurate in the final third. Madrid went into half-time with a narrow lead.
Raphinha brings Barcelona back into the contest
Barcelona increased the pressure after the restart. The hosts pushed further forward and began finding their way into more threatening shooting positions, forcing Madrid to defend closer to their own penalty area.
The visitors remained dangerous on the break, however. Bellingham and Mbappé combined in a promising counter-attack but failed to make the most of the opportunity.
Barcelona equalised in the 61st minute. Following a short corner, Pedri received the ball near the right-hand corner of the penalty area. The midfielder delayed his pass before threading it through a gap in the defence to Raphinha.
The Brazilian struck from close range, sending the ball through Bellingham’s legs. Lunin got a touch but could not prevent it from crossing the line.
Barcelona continued to apply pressure. Gerard Martín came close to putting the hosts ahead with a header from a corner, but Lunin produced an excellent save to preserve the draw.
Bellingham creates the decisive late winner
Despite their dominance, Barcelona continued to struggle to find a way through Madrid’s compact defence. Lamine Yamal had little impact on the right wing. The youngster repeatedly tried to beat his marker but rarely produced a dangerous shot or a decisive final pass.
Pedri was also below his usual standards in possession, despite his excellent contribution to the equaliser. Several misplaced passes gave Madrid opportunities to launch dangerous counter-attacks.
One of those breaks decided El Clásico in the 87th minute. Bellingham showed outstanding technique to escape the attention of several opponents in midfield before releasing Eduardo Camavinga.
The French substitute surged down the left, beat Cubarsí in a foot race and knocked the ball past the defender inside the penalty area. He then squared for Mbappé, who had the simple task of finishing into an empty net.
Barcelona committed more players forward in the closing stages but could not prevent defeat.
Barcelona’s possession advantage proves insufficient
Barcelona finished with 62 per cent possession, outshot Madrid 17-9 and recorded 644 passes compared with the visitors’ 385. The Catalans also registered six shots on target to Madrid’s five. For all their attacking activity, however, they lacked efficiency in front of goal.
Madrid scored both goals following quick transitions, exploiting the space behind Barcelona’s advanced defensive line. Mbappé stood out with his intelligent movement and two goals, while Bellingham provided an important link between midfield and attack. Lunin also made several crucial saves.
Barcelona struggled particularly in attack. Their lengthy spells of possession rarely resulted in clear shooting opportunities. Yamal failed to find solutions against Madrid’s defence, while Raphinha was the hosts’ most effective attacking player, scoring the equaliser and producing several threatening moments.
Real Madrid close the gap to three points
Barcelona remain top of La Liga with 27 points from ten matches, but have now suffered consecutive defeats in all competitions following their recent European setback. Flick will be particularly concerned by his team’s lack of cutting edge in attack.
Madrid move to 24 points, just three behind their great rivals. Mourinho’s side demonstrated that they can pose a serious attacking threat without dominating possession. Their compact defending and rapid counter-attacks ultimately proved decisive against a Barcelona team who had controlled much of the contest.
