Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 in Sunday’s El Clásico at Camp Nou, handing the La Liga leaders their first league defeat of the season and cutting the gap at the top of the table.
Mbappé opened the scoring four minutes before half-time and netted a late winner in the 87th minute after Raphinha equalised for the defending champions.
The result ended Barcelona’s unbeaten start to the La Liga campaign and handed them a second consecutive defeat following Tuesday’s loss to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League.
Barcelona remain top of the table on 27 points after 10 matches, with a two-point advantage over second-placed Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid sit third, one point behind Atletico.
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho praised his team’s discipline and composure in his first El Clásico back in charge of the club.
‘My team had an extraordinary game, very organised, good concentration, with courage to play out from the back against a team that presses you a lot,’ Mourinho told reporters.
‘We had chances for the second goal. Obviously, Barcelona had a strong reaction, but we were calm and organised, and at 1-1 we never lost our tranquillity.’
Barcelona had won six of the previous seven El Clásico encounters since Hansi Flick took charge, but struggled to impose themselves against Mourinho’s side.
‘You saw today, we lacked freshness,’ Flick said.
‘It’s the first defeat in La Liga. We won nine in a row. This is what we have to see.
‘Defeats are a part of the game. We have to analyse; we have to make things better. Now we must make a reaction.’
Real Madrid, who were without suspended forward Vinicius Junior, secured their fifth consecutive victory across all competitions, strengthening their early-season momentum under the veteran Portuguese coach.
After two trophyless seasons, Real Madrid turned to Mourinho to halt Barcelona’s dominance, and Sunday’s result offered encouragement that the team is moving in the right direction.