Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe star as Real Madrid exorcise the “ghosts of the past” to beat FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu

A five-star display from Real Madrid rocked FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. (Image credits - Heute, License Details)

Real Madrid defeated FC Barcelona 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Sunday to move 5 points clear of the Catalan giants in the La Liga points table. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe stole the show as Real Madrid ended Barça's four-game El Clásico winning streak from last season.

Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for the home side with a superb low finish after a sensational pass from Jude Bellingham before in-form Fermin Lopez equalised after Marcus Rashford capitalised on a defensive lapse from Federico Valverde at the back.

Bellingham put the hosts in front once again just a few minutes later with a tap-in of Eder Militao’s headed pass, which Pau Cubarsi failed to negotiate with. 

Real Madrid were awarded a penalty in the second half after Eric Garcia handled the ball inside the box, but it was denied brilliantly by Wojciech Szczesny.

Temperatures flared as the full-time whistle blew at the Bernabeu as players from both teams got into a scuffle and had to be separated by match officials.

Xabi Alonso “tactical masterclass”: How did Real Madrid dominate a ruthless Barcelona side?

Hansi Flick’s FC Barcelona looked a completely different side on Sunday as Real Madrid tactically outclassed the Catalans at the Bernabeu. Barça were missing several key players, including Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Gavi and Dani Olmo, but still possessed plenty of threat in their squad with new additions like Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji.

Madrid stepped onto the pitch fuelled up with determination after four straight losses in this fixture last season. Xabi Alonso’s men pressed high right from the first minute and never allowed Pedri and Frenkie De Jong to settle in midfield, which forced Barça to go long and lose possession often.

Xabi was quick to notice the gaps in Barcelona’s defence, and the players were very quick in transition, which often isolated the fullbacks and left Kylian Mbappe in 1v1 situations. Unlike Carlo Ancelotti’s structure, Xabi’s structure seemed rigid and compact, with the ball initiating the press only when Barça were playing loose balls.

Xabi Alonso tactically outclassed FC Barcelona in his first El Clasico as a manager. (Image credits - Heute, License Details)

Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni constantly recovered balls in the middle of the park and distributed them brilliantly to the flanks, which kept the Catalans at bay most of the time. Inigo Martinez’s absence looked visible as Hansi Flick's side lacked leadership on the pitch, and the centre-back pairing of Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsi was a complete mismatch against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

The visitors dominated possession, almost 70%, but as Jose Mourinho once stated, “Possession without penetration is useless.” Madrid kept less possession but utilised it to utmost perfection whenever they had the ball. As a result, the home side recorded an xG (expected goals) of 3.63 from 23 shots to Barcelona's 1.03 from 15 shots.

In the second half, when the Catalans pushed harder for an equaliser, Real Madrid did not crumble like they used to before; instead, they kept their shape intact and kept creating chances of their own to keep Barcelona under pressure.

Hansi Flick's side also missed the services of Raphinha and Lewandowski up front, as they were unable to convert their chances, which is a rare scenario for this side known to be ruthless and efficient in front of goal.

Xabi Alonso had studied Barcelona like a book, and the players perfectly executed his plan to clinch a crucial El Clasico win, which will give confidence and momentum to the Los Blancos moving ahead this season.