Barcelona staged a stunning first-half comeback to beat Real Madrid 4-3 in a thrilling El Clasico, edging closer to the La Liga title and overcoming a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick in the process.
Mbappe struck twice within 14 minutes, including a penalty he won after being fouled by goalkeeper Szczesny, and added a third in the second half to become the highest-scoring debutant in Real Madrid history with 39 goals.
But Barcelona turned the match on its head with four goals in a dazzling 25-minute spell before halftime. Eric Garcia opened the scoring, Lamine Yamal curled in a beauty, and Raphinha netted twice capitalising on Madrid’s defensive chaos.
Mbappe’s third narrowed the gap, and Real nearly equalised late on, but Barca held on. Fermin Lopez had a potential fifth ruled out by VAR for handball.
The win puts Barcelona seven points clear at the top of La Liga with three games to go. A victory over Espanyol on Thursday will seal the title, regardless of Real Madrid’s result against Mallorca.
This latest win also marks Barcelona’s fourth Clasico victory this season a feat last achieved in 1982-83 having beaten Real in La Liga, the Super Cup final, and Copa del Rey final.
Lamine Yamal, just 17, was named Player of the Match after scoring and assisting in a game that may define Barcelona’s season under Hansi Flick.
