A Kylian Mbappe double, three vital points and bragging rights. Sunday night could not get any better for Real Madrid fans. When the action kicked off under the lights at Camp Nou for the Clasico, Jose Mourinho’s side were far from the favourites.
But after 90 minutes of drama and fiery football, Real had the last laugh, beating rivals Barcelona 2-1 in a tantalising match. The victory has renewed belief among the Bernabeu faithful, who are counting on Mourinho to lead them back to glory days. Here are the key takeaways from Real’s El Clasico win against Barcelona: Mbappe’s brace – which took his tally to 14 goals this season – was enough to silence the tens of thousands of Barcelona supporters at Camp Nou.
With that, Los Blancos became the first side to beat Barcelona in the league this season, ending the Catalan club’s nine-game winning streak in the top flight. Had Barcelona won, they would have broken Real’s 1968-69 record for a best-ever start in the Spanish top flight. It also marked a second straight defeat for Hansi Flick’s side, coming only days after they fell to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
As for Real, victory brought home bragging rights. Real now lead the head-to-head record with 107 wins to Barca’s 106 in their all-time Clasico record. A day before the world tunes in to watch the Ballon d’Or ceremony for the best player of the 2025-26 season, Mbappe achieved another milestone.
The French forward’s brace brought up his 100th goal for Real across all competitions since joining in 2024 from PSG. The 27-year-old, the second-best La Liga scorer this season, is building on a remarkable performance last campaign, which saw him finish as La Liga and the Champions League’s top scorer, the World Cup Golden Boot winner and the all-time leading World Cup scorer. Those statistics have made him one of the frontrunners for the Ballon d’Or ahead of Monday’s gala in London.
Defeats to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid last month shook Real’s top-flight campaign, but recent results reflect stability. Real have now won five matches in a row – three in La Liga and two in the UCL – and seem to be coming into strong form. Even though Sunday’s victory was just a second in eight games against Barcelona, Real are slowly reducing the gap on Barca this season, with just over a quarter of the season played.
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