Lewandowski and Yamal Outshine Mbappé and Vinícius as Barcelona Thrash Real Madrid
Barcelona delivered a statement victory at the Santiago Bernabéu, crushing Real Madrid 4-0 in a commanding El Clásico performance. The emphatic win reaffirmed Barça's status at the top of La Liga, extending their lead over their fiercest rivals to six points.
Coming into this match, many expected it to be a showcase for Vinícius Júnior, especially with the Brazilian rumored to be on the verge of winning the Ballon d'Or. A standout performance in El Clásico, following his recent Champions League hat-trick, would have been the perfect prelude to the ceremony in Paris. However, it wasn’t Vinícius who took center stage—instead, it was Kylian Mbappé, albeit for all the wrong reasons. The French star, making his debut in the El Clásico, struggled throughout and ultimately became the match’s unlikely villain.
Mbappé’s first El Clásico was a night to forget. He was caught offside multiple times and squandered several key chances, including a moment of heartbreak on the 30th minute. After slotting the ball past the Barça goalkeeper, VAR intervened, and the goal was ruled out for offside, summing up his frustrating evening.
In stark contrast, Robert Lewandowski showed exactly how to master the offside line and finish clinically. The veteran Polish striker was in imperious form, silencing critics with two quick goals in the second half. First, he exploited a gaping hole in Madrid’s defense, calmly slotting home to put Barça in control. Minutes later, he was on the scoresheet again, this time heading in a pinpoint cross from Alejandro Balde.
Real Madrid attempted to mount a comeback, but it was clear they were rattled. Even the introduction of Luka Modrić in the 63rd minute couldn’t shift the momentum. The Croatian maestro managed to set up Jude Bellingham with a golden opportunity after a set-piece, but the Englishman, like many of his teammates, failed to make a mark on the game.
By the 77th minute, any hopes of a Real resurgence were well and truly over. Lamine Yamal added the finishing touch to Barça’s dominant display, cutting inside from the right before unleashing a thunderous shot into the near top corner, leaving Andriy Lunin with no chance. The Ukrainian goalkeeper could hardly be blamed for the defeat, as Real’s defensive blunders left him exposed time and again.
The 4-0 rout marked a memorable 189th La Liga El Clásico for Barcelona, underlining their dominance. For Real Madrid, this was their first loss of the season—a bitter blow that sees them trailing their Catalan rivals by six points, raising questions about how they will bounce back from this heavy defeat.
2024-25, Spain - La Liga
Real - Barcelona 0:4 (0:0)
Goals: Lewandowski, 54 (0:1); Lewandowski, 56 (0:2); Yamal, 77 (0:3); Raphinha, 85 (0:4)
Real: Lunin Andriy; Mendy Fe.; Militão; Rudiger; Vazquez L.; Camavinga (Diaz Br., 77); Tchouaméni (Modric, 63); Bellingham; Valverde F.; Vinícius Júnior; Mbappé
Bench: Gonzalez Fran; Mestre; Vallejo; García Fr.; Güler A.; Dani Ceballos; Endrick
Yellow Cards: Vinícius Júnior 80; Militão 86
Barcelona: Peña I.; Balde Al.; Cubarsí; Kounde; Martinez In.; Casado M. (Olmo, 65); Fermin (de Jong F., 46); Raphinha; Yamal; Lewandowski; Pedri (Gavi, 87)
Bench: Kochen Diego; Szczesny; Domínguez S.; Martín; Fort H.; Torre P.; Pau Victor; Fati An.
Yellow Cards: Casado M. 44; Kounde 69; Martinez In. 75; Peña I. 82; Gavi 90
