Clasico: Mbappé and Real Madrid Topple a Barça Side Billed as Favourites

Real strike at the right moment

Before kick-off, everything pointed to a Barça win: first in La Liga with nine victories in ten games, backed by their home crowd and by Lamine Yamal, whom the bookmakers had named the most likely scorer. But Real played the opposite script: a compact block, ball recovery and fast transitions to release Mbappé and Bellingham.
The Catalans had the ball but could not break down the Madrid defence. And from one of their rare chances, Real opened the scoring. In the 41st minute, Kylian Mbappé put his side ahead just before half-time. A first half that belonged to the Merengues, sharper and more dangerous with far less of the ball.

Barça wake up, but fail to finish

After the break, the match changed. Barça took control of the game and were rewarded in the 61st minute when Raphinha equalised with a cross-shot. The Camp Nou believed, and it seemed the Blaugrana would take over for good.
The opposite happened. In the 87th minute, a move started by Jude Bellingham in midfield found Eduardo Camavinga, who set up Mbappé for an unpressured finish in the centre of the box. On this lethal counter-attack, the Frenchman completed his brace and scored the winner, his 100th goal in a Madrid shirt according to the Italian press. José Mourinho thus wins his first Clasico since returning to the Real bench, and Mbappé shines on the eve of the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The match in numbers: possession made no difference

Barça dominated almost every statistical category except the only one that counts. Real scored with 2 of their 9 shots (22%), against 1 of 16 for the Catalans (6%): it took Madrid 4.5 shots on average to score, compared with 16 for Barça.
Another telling figure: of Real's 5 shots on target, two went in, while Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin saved 5 of Barça's 6 efforts on target. Real were also more efficient with very little of the ball, the sign of a team that executed its plan to perfection.

Barça: a case of tired legs?

Several elements invite the question. The Catalans were coming off a Champions League defeat to PSG this week, and they seemed to lack sharpness in the final yards despite their territorial edge. They also conceded the decisive goal on a counter-attack, which can betray a lack of lucidity or energy late in the match.
The theory remains a hypothesis, however: no physical data is available, and Real were also in European action this week, with a big win over Leipzig on Wednesday 21 October. Barça's problem may be more about finishing than fitness.

In the table, Real are back within three points

This defeat ends Barça's unbeaten league run but does not cost them top spot: they remain leaders with 27 points (9 wins, 1 defeat), ahead of Atlético Madrid (25 points) and Real (24 points), who are back within three. Madrid, now third, travel to Racing Santander on 1 November, while Barça must bounce back after two setbacks in a few days.