Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on 25 October, with Kylian Mbappe scoring both goals to hand the Catalan side a second consecutive defeat in La Liga.
The result ended Barcelona’s run of nine successive league victories and allowed Atletico Madrid to move within two points of them. Real Madrid, meanwhile, extended their winning sequence to five matches.
The Clasico looked far less even a couple of weeks earlier, but Real Madrid arrived in improved form after winning four games in a row and scoring four goals in each of their previous three matches. Barcelona had suffered their first defeat of the season only a few days earlier in Paris, where weaknesses in their game were exposed.
Did Jose Mourinho study that match closely? Naturally, he did.
Real Madrid defended aggressively, committing to tackles and preventing Barcelona’s attacking players from finding space. They also varied the tempo effectively, while Barcelona appeared cautious and in no hurry to force the game.
The opening change came through injury. Espart was unable to continue after a collision with Federico Valverde and was replaced by Balde. Joao Cancelo moved across to the right side of Barcelona’s defence, and 10 minutes later Real Madrid exploited that area.
Cucurella released Diomande, who sent the ball across the area. Martin’s attempted clearance along the six-yard box struck Mbappe’s leg, and the forward reacted quickly to divert it into the net for 1-0.
The match only opened up in the closing stages of the first half. Fermin found Lamine Yamal arriving unmarked at the right corner of the six-yard box, but Yamal failed to hit the target. Real Madrid immediately counter-attacked, leaving Diomande clear on the opposite side, although his first-time shot hit the outside of the net.
Mbappe also struck the post moments earlier, but his effort came from an offside position and did not count.
Real Madrid threatened again after the interval when Jude Bellingham turned Pau Cubarsi on the flank and broke away with Mbappe in a two-on-two situation. However, the attack broke down when Bellingham could not find a route past Martin.
Barcelona levelled just before the hour. They took a corner quickly, and Pedri produced an excellent pass to locate Raphinha near the corner of the six-yard box. Raphinha then fired the ball through Bellingham’s legs and into the far corner.
Yamal finally began to influence the contest with 10 minutes remaining. He cut inside an opponent near the edge of the penalty area and sent a shot narrowly wide of the post, before striking Huijsen in the face with a powerful effort from 15 yards.
Neither side created another clear chance until the 87th minute, when Real Madrid produced the decisive attack. Jesus made an error, Bellingham went past him, and Arda Guler released Eduardo Camavinga down the wing. Camavinga beat Cubarsi before crossing into an empty goalmouth, allowing Mbappe to score his second and settle the match.