Real Madrid ended Barcelona’s recent dominance in El Clásico with a 2-1 victory in the first meeting of the 2025-26 La Liga season, with Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé starring in a decisive performance at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Barcelona had been seeking a fifth successive win in the fixture across all competitions, a feat achieved only once before in their history, but they struggled to assert themselves throughout the game.
Early in the match, Vinícius Júnior looked set to put Madrid ahead in the second minute after Alejandro Balde was penalised for a foul in the box, but the referee overturned the penalty. Moments later, Mbappé’s spectacular strike was disallowed for a marginal offside, keeping Barcelona in contention.
Madrid finally took the lead in the 22nd minute, with Bellingham slicing through the Barcelona defence and Mbappé finishing calmly. The goal extended the Frenchman’s league scoring streak to seven matches and took his tally to 16 goals from 13 appearances across all competitions this season.
Barcelona briefly levelled before half-time after Marcus Rashford set up Fermín Lopez following a turnover by Arda Guler. However, Madrid regained the lead shortly before the break when Éder Militão’s deep cross was met by Bellingham, who became the first Englishman to both score and assist in a La Liga Clásico.
The second half offered fewer clear-cut chances. Madrid were awarded a penalty when Eric García handled the ball, but Wojciech Szczesny denied Mbappé from the spot to keep Barcelona in the contest. Rodrygo also had a late chance in stoppage time, shooting straight at Szczesny, while Pedri’s second yellow card extinguished any hope of a late Barcelona equaliser.
The win marked Real Madrid’s ninth consecutive home victory in La Liga, their first such streak since February 2015, and extended their lead at the top of the table to five points. Xabi Alonso became only the second of Madrid’s last nine managers to win his first La Liga Clásico.
