Bellingham the Hero of an Explosive El Clássico in Madrid

191st League Clash Between Real Madrid and Barcelona

Real Madrid triumphed in the 10th-round La Liga classic, defeating Barcelona 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Jude Bellingham was the star of the night, setting up Kylian Mbappé’s opener and scoring the decisive goal himself.

This was the 191st league meeting between the two Spanish giants. Real Madrid, determined to stop Barça from winning a fifth consecutive El Clásico, celebrated their 80th league victory in the rivalry. Barcelona remain on 76 wins. Across all competitions, this was the 262nd El Clásico. Real Madrid now lead with 106 wins to Barça’s 104, with 52 matches ending in draws.

Sunday’s victory marked Real’s 69th home win in the legendary matchup and strengthened their lead top the La Liga table, now five points ahead of second-placed Barcelona after ten rounds.

Dramatic Opening Minutes

The match began with chaos. Barely a minute in, Eduardo Camavinga lost the ball dangerously near his box, forcing Éder Militão to deflect Marcus Rashford’s shot for a corner. Moments later, referee César Soto Grado initially awarded Real Madrid a penalty after Lamin Yamal appeared to trip Vinícius Júnior, however after consulting VAR, he overturned the call, ruling a foul by Vinícius instead.

Mbappé’s Goal Ruled Out, Then Stands

In the 12th minute, Kylian Mbappé seemed to have opened the scoring with a thunderous half-volley, sending Bernabéu fans into raptures, until VAR intervened and ruled the goal offside by the slimmest of margins.

Ten minutes later, Mbappé found redemption. After a brilliant pass from Bellingham through the middle, the French forward raced clear and calmly slotted the ball past Wojciech Szczęsny to make it 1–0. Real Madrid kept pressing, Bellingham and Mbappé both tested the Polish keeper, however Szczęsny produced several key saves.

Fermín López Brings Barça Level

Barcelona finally created danger in the 34th minute when Ferran Torres broke through one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois, however the Belgian keeper denied him. Real Madrid immediately countered, with Szczęsny again saving from Vinícius. Then, in the 38th minute, Barça struck back: Balde found Rashford on the left, who crossed for Fermín López to equalize from close range to 1–1.

Bellingham Restores Real’s Lead

Real Madrid didn’t let up. After a Vinícius Júnior cross, Militão’s header reached the far post where Jude Bellingham calmly finished into an empty net in the 43rd minute, 2–1 to Madrid.

Szczęsny Denies Mbappé from the Spot

The second half maintained its high tempo. When the ball struck Eric García’s arm in the box, VAR awarded Real Madrid a penalty, however Szczęsny guessed correctly and saved Mbappé’s shot to his left, keeping Barça alive.

Late Drama and Frustration

Barcelona dominated possession late on, pressing for an equalizer, while Real  Madrid threatened on the counter. Jude Bellingham scored again in the 68th minute, however VAR once more intervened for offside. Tension flared when Xabi Alonso substituted Vinícius Júnior, and the Brazilian reacted angrily, storming down the tunnel.

Despite Barça’s pressure, and Pedri’s late red card, Real’s defense held firm through 11 minutes of stoppage time. When the final whistle blew, the Bernabéu erupted in celebration as Madrid claimed a thrilling 2–1 victory. Frustration boiled over among the losing side. The benches of both teams got into a heated verbal exchange, with Lamine Yamal being the loudest, even challenging opponents to settle things off the pitch.

DoctorsBonus LaLiga winner prediction:

Real Madrid – 1.50

Barcelona – 2.75

Atletico Madrid – 34.00

Villarreal – 81.00