Real Madrid beat Barcelona as Mbappe double decides Clasico

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice, according to reports published on October 25. The victory for Jose Mourinho's side came after Raphinha had equalised for Barcelona, before Mbappe restored Madrid's lead late in the match.¹²³

Mbappe settles the match

La Liga's match account credited Mbappe with both Madrid goals and recorded a 1-0 advantage for the visitors at half-time. Raphinha then brought Barcelona level. The Guardian reported that Mbappe's second goal arrived with three minutes remaining, leaving Barcelona behind again after their equaliser.²⁴

According to La Liga, Eduardo Camavinga supplied the assist for Mbappe's second goal after a rapid counterattack. Its account also recorded injuries to Dean Huijsen and Federico Valverde, with Denzel Dumfries replacing Valverde, and said the fourth official signalled five minutes of added time.⁴

League gap narrows

The BBC reported that Madrid moved to within three points of Barcelona in La Liga and ended their opponents' nine-match unbeaten domestic sequence. It described the meeting at Camp Nou as the first Clasico of the season.¹

The Guardian described Barcelona's league run more specifically: nine consecutive victories, matching their record, before their first failure to win in the competition this season. It also reported that Barcelona had been averaging 4.3 goals a game before Madrid restricted them to one.²

Mourinho looks beyond one victory

Mourinho celebrated by sliding on his knees in Barcelona, Sky Sports reported. But his comments afterwards placed the result within the league campaign rather than treating victory at Camp Nou as the team's overriding objective.¹³

“In my view, Real Madrid do not play to win at the Camp Nou, Real Madrid play to win La Liga,” Mourinho said. He attributed the victory to his players' composure and performance, while the Guardian reported his warning that he would not allow the squad to become overconfident.¹²

According to the BBC, Mourinho became the third Madrid manager to oversee six consecutive Clasicos without defeat, a sequence comprising four wins and two draws. The broadcaster reported that he returned to Madrid during the summer, 13 years after his earlier spell in charge.¹

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said the demands of the preceding weeks had affected his team's freshness. “We missed the freshness,” he said. He also said small details had determined the outcome and that those details had not favoured Barcelona.¹