Kylian Mbappé scored twice, including a late winner, as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 and ended Hansi Flick's run of nine straight La Liga wins. Barcelona stay top, but their lead over Atlético Madrid is down to two points.

Barcelona’s perfect La Liga start is over. Kylian Mbappé struck twice as Real Madrid won the Clásico 2-1 at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday night. Hansi Flick’s side had won all nine league games this season and were going for a record 10th in a row. It was also Real Madrid’s first La Liga win at Camp Nou since October 2021.

The goals carried a milestone for the visitors. Real Madrid said the brace took Mbappé to 100 goals for the club in his 116th appearance. He now has 9 league goals this season, three behind Raphinha’s 12 at the top of the scoring chart.

Barcelona dominated the ball but Madrid made it count

Madrid’s opener in the 41st minute was unfortunate for the hosts. Gerard Martín tried to clear, and the ball bounced off Mbappé into the net.

Barcelona responded on the hour. A quickly taken corner caught Madrid off guard, and Raphinha drove Pedri’s pass low past Andriy Lunin in the 61st minute. Lunin was only in goal as a late replacement for an ill Thibaut Courtois.

The winner arrived in the closing minutes. Jude Bellingham beat his marker to send Eduardo Camavinga through, and Camavinga cut the ball back for Mbappé to finish.

The numbers show how much of the game Barcelona controlled. They had 62% of possession and completed 569 passes to Madrid’s 320. Flick’s team took 18 shots to Madrid’s 10, with 6 on target. Lunin made 5 saves. Madrid still edged expected goals, 2 to 1.27, a sign their chances were the clearer ones.

Pedri said after the match that the team moved the ball too slowly in the first half and gave it away cheaply. He added that a team like Madrid punishes those mistakes.

The finish was tense. Dean Huijsen and Mbappé were both booked for dissent in stoppage time. Karim Adeyemi and Alejandro Balde were cautioned in the 90+6th minute, and each side ended with three yellow cards.

The cushion at the top is now two points

A result would have kept Barcelona six points clear of Madrid. Instead, Atlético Madrid now sit two points behind in second, with Real Madrid one point further back in third.

The defeat also extends a difficult week. Barcelona lost 2-4 to Paris Saint Germain in their previous game, so this is a second straight loss in all competitions. Before that, they had won four in a row, including 5-2 against Real Betis and 4-1 against Galatasaray.

Madrid have now won five straight in all competitions, with their last defeat a 1-2 loss to Atlético Madrid. Before Sunday, Barcelona had won the previous two Clásicos, 2-0 in La Liga in May and 3-2 in the Super Cup in January.

The chance to respond comes quickly. Barcelona have a strong record against their next opponent: 21 meetings with Alavés have produced 17 Barcelona wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. Real Madrid travel to Racing Santander on Sunday 1 November.

Barcelona host Alavés at Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday 31 October, with kick-off at 21:00 peninsular Spain time.

Sources

'We were very slow!' – Honest Pedri admits Barcelona mistakes in painful El Clasico loss (GOAL)

FC Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid: Heartbreaking defeat (FC Barcelona)

Mbappé reaches 100 goals with Real Madrid (Real Madrid C.F.)

Calendar and Upcoming Matches of the FC Barcelona (LaLiga)