Barcelona went into the Bernabeu and smashed open the game with four second-half goals in a clean sheet win over Real Madrid on Saturday.
[ MORE: Real Madrid vs Barcelona player ratings ]
Robert Lewandowski scored twice in three second-half minutes, then Lamine Yamal and Raphinha added goals and Inaki Pena kept denied Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and the vaunted Real Madrid to the tune of 4-0.
Barca goes six points clear of second-place Real, the visitors walking away with a 10W-1L record to start their pursuit of La Liga’s crown.
Hansi Flick changes the game
Barcelona’s high-line was under attack in the first half, and the Blaugranas only got by thanks in large part to a defiant Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman continued to stray offside even as it became clear he knew what to do with all those defenders. Fermin Lopez is a fun player but had been starved of the ball by Eduardo Camavinga and a strong Madrid midfield. So Flick plugged Frenkie de Jong in at halftime, a player only on the bench because of fitness, and that allowed Pedri and Marc Casado to adventure a bit. It was a fantastic bit of work, and Carlo Ancelotti’s thin bench — no Dani Carvajal or Rodrygo — didn’t help at all (though Luka Modric’s insertion came too late).
If you would’ve told any Barca supporter — let alone Hansi Flick — upon taking the job that the boss would not start Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, and Gavi in his first away Clasico, they would’ve worried about the final score. A 4-0 win? Wow. Granted De Jong was on the field for all four of Barca’s goals, but this was a big win.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona stat of the game aka Mbappe flails
Kylian Mbappe strayed offside eight times in his 90 minutes.
A fantastic player appeared too amped for his first Clasico, as the Ballon d’Or candidate was twice saved from promising positions in addition to the offside stuff.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona stats
(from fotmob.com)
Possession: Barca 58%
Expected goals: Barca 2.45-1.48
Total shots: Barca 15-9
Shots on target: Barca 7-4
Fouls: Barca 17-15
Corners: Real 10-3
What’s next?
Barcelona have the Derbi Barceloní at 10:15am ET Sunday versus Espanyol, while Real go to Valencia a day earlier at 4pm.
How to watch El Clasico — Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream link, TV channel and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Saturday (October 26)
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid
How to watch: Watch on ESPN Deportes, Stream on ESPN+
Real Madrid vs Barcelona final score: 0-4
Robert Lewandowski 54′, 56′; Lamine Yamal 77′, Raphinha 85′
El Clasico live updates — By Nick Mendola
Raphinha goal! Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona (85th minute)
Bring out the white hankies.
Real give Inigo Martinez ages to weigh up a pass from the back.
Raphinha makes two breaks, one that he stops and checks back onside. Martinez is not being pressed and Raphinha tries a run again.
He’s behind Lucas Vasquez and help is not coming. Raphinha dinks the ball over Lunin. It’s 4-0!
Lamine Yamal goal! Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona (77th minute)
The youngest player to ever score in a Clasico.
Inaki Pena’s long goal kick is flicked back by a leaping Lewandowski, and Raphinha picks up the product to drive left to right across the Real final third.
Raphinha spots Lamine Yamal, who hammers a shot into the upper reach of the goal at age 17.
Inaki Pena denies Mbappe
The French megastar is going to hate his highlight reel if this scoreline continues to full time.
Mbappe gets the better of Inigo Martinez and strides to the top of the 18, where he hits a low, 7-out-of-10 shot right at the left outline of Inaki Pena.
Nice-looking leg save, but Mbappe’s gotta miss the keeper there.
Lewandowski misses another, Kounde cautioned
Yamal now finds Lewandowski for a difficult back post chance the Polish hero sails over the goal.
Now Jules Kounde gives away a free kick, and it leads to a Jude Bellingham miss.
Luka Modric replaces Aurelien Tchouameni before the above exchange.
Mbappe, Lewandowski trade flubs
Mbappe scores but is offside for the umpteenth time in the game.
Lewandowski hits the other end and is set for a hat trick when he side foots off the post instead of inside a half-open goal.
Lewandowski again! Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona (56th minute)
How is that man that open?
Alex Balde’s cross sails between Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger, and guess whose head turns it past Lunin?
You guessed right (especially because you read the heading).
Robert Lewandowski goal! Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona (54th minute)
But is he onside? Yes!
Lewandowski beats the back line as Ferland Mendy keeps him onside, latching onto a thriller of a through ball from Marc Casado.
The red-hot Polish striker beats Lunin for his 13th La Liga goal of the season and, just as critical, a Clasico lead away at the Bernabeu.
Lamine Yamal from distance!
The teenager steals the ball in his own half and drives the other way.
Raphinha is making a run for a through ball but Yamal fires off a hard shot from 40 yards that is caught by a recovering Lunin.
0-0, 52′.
Sub indeed
It’s Frenkie de Jong for Fermin Lopez. No surprise here. Barca’s record over the years is so good with De Jong versus without the Dutch metronome.
Halftime — Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona
Strange game.
Real have manufactured a load of danger, but Mbappe’s been offside six times so many of their chances — and missed chances — don’t register as shots.
So Barca lead 6-1 in shots, have had 58% of the ball, and have a slight edge in xG.
With Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Frenkie de Jong on the bench, we do expect changes from Hansi Flick.
Kylian Mbappe goal… but offside.
Barca have played wide open and Real have broken down Inaki Pena’s goal.
It’s Mbappe in his first El Clasico, but is he offside before his terrific finish.
It’s going to be razor-thin. And it is offside.
Hansi Flick’s team is too open. With Frenkie de Jong and Gavi on the bench, it’s difficult to imagine the midfield staying the same into the second half.
There’s Barca!
Pedri tears into a 25-years shot that Lunin knocks down.
Barca picks up the rebound and an earn a corner kick, keeping possession long enough for Inigo Martinez to head a cross over Madrid’s goal.
Treasure trove of misses from Real
This could be a blowout, but there’s another terrible miss from Real Madrid.
Vinicius Junior cuts around his man and misses near post in a similar manner to Mbappe earlier in the match.
There’s a chance it took the slightest of turns off a Barca defender, but it’s a bad miss either way.
Nervy!
It has been anything but a settled affair, and there are two big moments of danger.
First, Kylian Mbappe suddenly has the ball with Inaki Pena way off his line and no one else between him and the goals, 40 yards away.
Mbappe floats it over the goal.
Barca go back the other way and Lamine Yamal is fighting off a defender as he reaches the 18 to hit a half-speed shot right to Andriy Lunin.
Still 0-0, 14′.
Mbappe flubs chance (and is offside)
Second-minute of the game and Kylian Mbappe is behind Barcelona’s line and 1v1 with Inaki Pena.
But the Frenchman cannot finish, driving a shot wide of the near post from close range.
The flag goes up anyway, but oof.
Real Madrid lineup
Lunin, Vasquez, Militao, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Mendy, Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Mbappe
Barcelona lineup
Inaki Pena, Balde, Cubarsi, I. Martinez, Kounde, Casado, Fermin, Pedri, Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski
Real Madrid team news, focus
David Alaba is out until January with his ACL injury, while Dani Carvajal is out for the season after also suffering a serious knee injury. Thibaut Courtois should be good to go and so too should Rodrygo. Brahim Diaz it out with a hamstring injury. Starting Vinicius Jr, Bellingham, Rodrygo and Mbappe in the same team could cause a balance issue but Real Madrid have so many experienced players they make it work. It is unlikely veteran Luka Modric will start after starting against Borussia Dortmund in midweek, with Eduardo Camavinga or Aurelien Tchouameni set to come in alongside Fede Valverede in midfield.
Barcelona team news, focus
Barca have so many talented youngsters starting or coming off the bench with Lamine Yamal the pick of the bunch as he, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha are feeding Lewandowski up top. Pedri is running the show in central midfield and this really does feel like Barcelona have got back to their core identity. Goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen is out for the season, while defenders Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo are still out and Eric Garcia is also working his way back to fitness. Ferran Torres is missing too, and when Barca get all of these players back (aide from Ter Stegen) in the next few months their push for La Liga and Champions League glory will be bolstered.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona prediction
This feels like it will be just a chaotic as always and with Barcelona confident and feeling like they can hurt Real Madrid, that’s only a good thing for this rivalry. Expect plenty of goals and for it to end even. Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona.
