El Clásico

What is El Clásico? El Clásico is the biggest sports rivalry in the world of football. The highly anticipated clash, featuring global superstars on both sides, lived up to its hype with a controversial and tense second half, with the match being played at Madrid’s home stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu. Many legends like Messi, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Zidane, and Neymar have taken part in these matches.

Henry Young and Alex Thomas / CNN

Real Madrid came out by applying relentless pressure. The hosts broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when Jude Bellingham delivered an assist to Kylian Mbappé, who fired a right-footed shot past Barcelona goalkeeper Szczęsny. Barcelona, however, quickly responded, as Fermín López equalized in the 38th minute, set up by Marcus Rashford, to bring the visitors level. However, the parity was short-lived. Just five minutes later, on the verge of halftime, Bellingham was in the thick of the action again, scoring the winner from close range after an Éder Militão header back across goal.

The second half was dominated by dramatic incidents and a fiery atmosphere. Early in the second half, Real Madrid was awarded a penalty for a handball by Eric García after a VAR review. Mbappé stepped up, but Szczęsny produced a fantastic save to deny him a second goal and keep Barcelona in the game.

As the match neared its conclusion, tensions boiled over. Vinícius Júnior showed his frustration at being substituted late in the game, and a fight broke out between players and benches after Barcelona midfielder Pedri was shown a second yellow card for a lunge on Aurélien Tchouaméni in stoppage time. Real Madrid's reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin also received a yellow card during the post-match fight.

Al Jazeera

After the game, Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso praised his team's performance, suggesting the 2-1 scoreline did not fully reflect their dominance. The victory was a crucial one for Los Blancos, as they now sit five points clear of Barcelona in the La Liga standings after 10 games. For Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, the loss marked an end to his winning streak in previous Clásicos this season across all competitions, which included a stunning 4-0 league win at the Bernabéu in October 2024 and victories in the Supercopa and Copa del Rey finals.

The result sets a compelling narrative for the rest of the 2025/26 title race, with the return fixture at Camp Nou scheduled for May 10, 2026.

Times of India

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