Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazário hailed Real Madrid’s 2-1 La Liga win away to Barcelona as an “exceptionally beautiful” and highly significant result, praising the visitors’ performance in the season’s biggest Spanish fixture.

Quick facts

• Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou in La Liga’s 10th round.
• Kylian Mbappé scored twice, in the 41st and 87th minutes.
• Barcelona’s Raphinha levelled the match in the 61st minute.
• The defeat ended Barcelona’s unbeaten start to the league campaign.
• Madrid moved within three points of Barcelona and remained third on 24 points.

Ronaldo delivered his assessment at Monday’s Ballon d’Or event at the London Palladium, held one day after Madrid overcame their main rivals in Catalonia.

Mbappé put Madrid ahead four minutes before half-time when Gerard Martín’s attempted clearance deflected into his path. Raphinha brought Barcelona back level in the 61st minute.

The French forward then settled the contest in the 87th minute, finishing after Eduardo Camavinga pulled the ball back from the byline.

Barcelona had gone through their opening nine league matches without defeat and could have opened a nine-point lead over Madrid with a home victory. Instead, Hansi Flick’s side recorded its first La Liga loss of the season.

Madrid cut the difference to three points, while sitting third with 24 points, one point behind Atlético Madrid.

The match was also the first Clásico of José Mourinho’s second spell in charge of Real Madrid. The result extended his unbeaten run against Barcelona in the fixture to six games.

Ronaldo, winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1997 and 2002, played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid and was among the notable former footballers attending the London ceremony.

“Beating Barcelona in their own stadium is never easy,” Ronaldo said. “Real Madrid played extremely well and defended extremely well. Mourinho is building the team in the way he wants.”