Real Madrid vs Barcelona - La Liga RECAP: Post-match reaction as Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha put Los Blancos to the sword after Kylian Mbappe was caught offside SEVEN TIMES

A stunning end to a dream week for Barcelona.

Hansi Flick's side blew Real Madrid away in the second half this evening to move six points clear at the top of the table.

The early signs are very good for his Barcelona project.

There will be some tough questions for Real Madrid on the other hand.

Thanks for joining us for the first Clasico of the season, one Barcelona fans will not want to forget.

Goodbye for now.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has pinpointed half time tweaks as being key to their stunning second half.

Frankie de Jong was introduced at half-time, while Flick said he instructed his players to press Real Madrid more.

'We started very well, in the first half, we did well,' he said.

'The defence was high up, it seems dangerous and risky, but it isn't. It worked.

'In the end, we made the right changes at half-time.

'The players did very well. The players showed their quality in front of goal. Everyone knew what to do, in defence and in attack.

'Today wasn't easy, but we defended well. We believe in our idea, but we have to keep going.'

Carlo Ancelotti has just appeared at his press conference and admits it is a 'a hard moment' for his team.

The Real Madrid boss claims his side approached the match well for the first hour, but stressed they took risks which led to the final two goals.

'It was very evenly match until they scored the first goal. We wre not that efficient, we had opportunities in the first half,' Ancelotti said.

'They scored two very quick goals and that took the energy out of us.

'We took some gambles defensively and they took advantage of that.

'It is a hard moment. I thank the fans because they kept pushing us until the last moment of the match.

'We need to forget the last 30 minutes because we wanted to get back into the game and they took advantage of that.

'Of course we are behind in the table but there are many games to be played. We cannot through everything to the trash.

'This team will improve.'

Real Madrid had been unbeaten in 42 matches in La Liga heading into the Clasico.

Los Blancos had been hoping match Barcelona's record of 43 matches, which was set back in the 2017-18 season.

That hope was blown apart by Barcelona this evening.

It was be fascinating to see the reaction to this heavy defeat in the Spanish press.

Several stars will undoubtedly be scrutinised following tonight's humiliation.

Safe to say Barcelona are going to enjoy this.

The all important dressing room victory photo...

Reaction is coming in from across football to Barcelona's crushing victory.

Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has hailed his former side's triumph, writing 'What a statement at Bernabeu... wow.'

Rio Ferdinand has led the praise for Robert Lewandowski following his brace.

The 36-year-old has already scored 14 goals in 11 matches in La Liga this season.

Lewandowski has exactly double the tally of Ayoze Perez, who has the second highest amount of goals in the division.

Like a fine wine.

Quite the week for Barcelona and their head coach Hansi Flick with tonight's 4-0 win coming off the back of a 4-1 triumph over Bayern Munich in midweek.

There had been some discussion over whether the high line implemented by Flick at Barcelona could be exposed in these two matches.

Instead it has arguably been Barcelona's strength.

Just ask Kylian Mbappe, given the number of offsides he racked up tonight.

Well, who saw that coming? Certainly not me.

I knew Barcelona were coming into this in fine fettle, but to dismantle Real Madrid like that was special.

They came out in that second half with a point to prove and my word did they prove it.

It's a result that will be lauded for some time, I'm sure of that.

They destroyed Los Blancos with no mercy.

What a performance from Barcelona.

Four second-half goals mean they humiliate their biggest rivals Real Madrid on their own patch.

It means they go six points clear at the top of LaLiga, Hansi Flick is doing an incredible job.

The celebrations have well and truly begun.

Kylian Mbappe loves offsides so much he should just marry them.

As the board goes up to show there are two added minutes, so does the offside flag.

Real Madrid fans have seen enough.

The Bernabeu is emptying at a rapid pace, the sections of blue seats that are unfilled are everywhere.

I'm not surprised they are leaving...

Now this is a nice situation for Gavi to come into.

The midfielder who is still getting back to fitness replaces Pedri for the final few minutes.

He can really enjoy himself for the remainder of the game.

This is getting humiliating for Real Madrid now!

Raphinha piles the misery on the hosts as he latches onto a long ball and lobs Andriy Lunin.

I am simply lost for words at this point, I can't believe what I am witnessing.

This is an absolute rout.

I'll admit, amid the madness, I missed a couple of yellow cards.

One of them was handed to Vinicius Jnr who is sulking around the pitch at this moment in time.

And now Inaki Pena has been booked for asking the referee to give the Real Madrid star a second one.

This could be any number at this rate.

Barcelona just keep getting in behind over and over again. Real Madrid's high line is costing them.

Surely there will be no 'La Remontada' this time around?

Game. Set. Match.

What a goal that is from Lamine Yamal to surely finish Real Madrid off.

Barcelona hit the hosts on the counter and work the ball over to Yamal in the area.

He takes a lovely touch and then smashes the ball into the roof of the net in some style.

What a second-half performance this has been.

Carlo Ancelotti is really going for it now.

Brahim Diaz is on in place of Eduardo Camavinga to see if he can make a difference.

A very attacking change.

Carlo Ancelotti is not a happy bun...

There is no eyebrow raise today, or if there has been, it isn't working.

Instead, the Real Madrid boss is just shouting at his players who are really struggling out there.

What has happened to Kylian Mbappe today? he simply can't score.

Another big chance comes his way but he first it straight at Inaki Pena once more.

If Real Madrid lose, a big part of it is due to these big chances being missed by Mbappe.

Oh my word, how has Robert Lewandowski missed that?

The Polish striker misses two huge chances for his hat-trick in just a matter of moments.

He first hits the post from yards out with the goal at his mercy before later spurning another great chance wide.

He has his head in his hands, he can't believe it. Neither can I.

Guess what?

Yep, Kylian Mbappe is offside for what feels like the billionth time in this match...

He goes early and then finishes expertly across Inaki Pena.

Now Dani Olmo has entered proceedings.

He replaces Marc Casado for the final 35 minutes of the match, can he make an impact?

It's not going to be Kylian Mbappe's day, is it?

The forward is sent racing away by Vinicius jnr but yet again he can't finish off the move.

Inaki Pena rushes out his goal and thwarts the Frenchman in superb style.

Carlo Ancelotti has turned to the bench.

Real Madrid legend Luka Modric enters the action in place of Aurelian Tchouameni.

The Frenchman does not look best pleased.

Real Madrid have reacted well to going behind.

Kylian Mbappe is looking to make things happen and let's fly of a decent drive toward the bottom corner.

It doesn't trouble Inaki Pena too much, though.

Sam Brookes, Mail Sport:

Two in two minutes from Robert Lewandowski and the Bernabeu is stunned. The defensive line from Madrid was appalling for that first goal, and there wasn't much urgency from Jude Bellingham to block the cross for the second. But don't take anything away from Lewandowski's two finishes. No stopping either of them, and Barcelona are in full control now.

I feel like I have de ja vu...

Real Madrid found themselves in this position only four days ago against Borussia Dortmund and it happened in very similar fashion.

They won that game 5-2, though.

It's going to take another 'La Remontada' for them to get the points here.

TWO GOALS IN TWO MINUTES!

In a flash, Barcelona are running away with it. I can't quite believe my eyes.

It's Robert Lewandowski yet again as he heads home Alejandro Balde's swinging cross.

The visitors are in dreamland.

Robert Lewandowski breaks the deadlock out of nowhere!

Real Madrid's defence is nowhere to be seen and all of a sudden the Polish striker his through on goal.

As the defenders call for offside, Lewandowski bends the ball into the bottom corner and goes off to celebrate.

The flag never comes and this one will count.

Is that Lamine Yamal or Xabi Alonso?

The young winger spots Andriy Lunin off his line and decides to try and loft the ball over him from by the halfway line.

Unsurprisingly, he can't pull it off.

Barcelona have started this second half the better side and the crowd can sense it.

With every pass made by the visitors, the fans' jeers get louder and louder.

Real Madrid have not got going yet.

Nearly a brilliant start to the second half for Barcelona.

Jules Kounde aims a cross toward Robert Lewandowski who is lurking six yards from goal.

As the ball comes his way, Eder Militao just does enough to get in front of the striker and clear.

Great defending.

Jeez, that was a quick break!

I'm not complaining, though, this game has been superb and I'm glad is back underway.

There has been one change for this second half. Frenkie de Jong is on for Fermin Lopez after all his injury problems.

Will the chances turn into goals this half?

If tonight has proved anything, it's that these games need to be played in their home countries.

mail Sport revealed last week that LaLiga are getting closer to hosting games across the pond in the US.

But the atmosphere tonight has been brilliant, and you wouldn't get that if you move the game.

While we are having a quick break from proceedings, why not take a look at our story below?

Read more:

If you haven't seen Kylian Mbappe's offside goal yet, here you go.

In real-time, I knew straight away that the number nine had one far too early. It was clear.

Such a silly mistake from Mbappe. If he held his run for split second longer, his goal would have counted.

Oh well, he didn't, did he?

Well, what a weird half that was for Kylian Mbappe.

He is certainly having an impact on his first El Clasico, but it's yet to be an uber-positive one.

In the 30th minute, he was celebrating putting the hosts ahead of their bitter rivals.

But within two minutes, eh was complaining to the referee about VAR ruling him offside.

Football, eh?

Ollie Lewis, Mail Sport Deputy Editor:

I can't be the only one in need of a breather after that first 45 minutes. The pace was just relentless! It's clear there are nerves from both sets of players here. I've lost count of the number of offside infringements we've seen thus far - Kylian Mbappe the culprit for the majority of them.

If he's unable to find the net and Madrid end up losing this, you can't imagine the Spanish press will be too forgiving. But he has 45 minutes to turn it around, and Barca's high line is certainly there to be exploited if he can just get the timing right.

And breathe...

It was hard to catch a breath in that first 45 minutes, it was just non-stop action from whistle to whistle.

Kylian Mbappe thought he had opened the scoring for the posts, but VAR deemed the striker offside.

And that wasn't for the first time in the match...

We have just two minutes of stoppage time here at the Bernabeu.

Is that enough time for the deadlock to be broken?

Probably not, in all honesty. I hope so, though.

We have our first booking of tonight's El Clasico.

It goes to the youngster Marc Casado as he hauls down Vinicius Jnr on the halfway line.

He had to do it otherwise Vinicius was away on the counter-attack.

I don't want this half of football to end, it's just so gripping!

The fact that it's goalless is a bit bewildering, but it certainly isn't lacking action.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a goal before the break...

I have just clocked that Barcelona are repping Coldplay as their sponsor for tonight's match.

The symbols on their shirt are the new album cover for 'Moon Music'.

If it wasn't for the roof, they would be seeing a Sky Full of Stars...

I'm sorry.

The Bernabeu has not been disheartened by that disallowed goal.

if anything, the supporters have now raised their game, which I didn't even think was possible.

They are either chanting at the top of their lungs or booing whenever Barcelona have the ball.

Yep, he went too early.

I think that's Kylian Mbappe's fourth offside already this match, and they keep costing him.

Surely he knows to hold his run?

Well, going by the statistics he obviously doesn't.

VAR are going to take a look at this...

It looks like Kylian Mbappe has mistimed his run yet again and gone early.

When he raced in behind before chipping Inaki Pena, my first thought was that he was off.

And looking at this replay, he is.

IT JUST HAD TO BE HIM!

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Kylian Mbappe marks his first El Clasico match with a goal.

Well, I think...

These guys aren't giving me a single-second rest tonight...

After a few chances from the hosts, Barcelona decide they are going to have another crack at scoring.

Pedri lines one up outside the area but his effort is straight down the throat of Andriy Lunin.

Moments later Inigo Martinez heads over the bar from close range.

Non. Stop. Action.

Now Eduardo Camavinga misses a big chance in the area.

This is getting a little silly, the hosts really are wasting some big chances, and with regularity.

As Sam said, will they regret it?

Sam Brookes, Mail Sport:

Mbappe and Vinicius Jr both look lively in this first half, but neither have their shooting boots on at the moment. Mbappe missed a huge 1 v 1 only to have his blushes spared by the offside flag, and now Vinicius Jnr has scuffed a shot wide after doing all the hard work. They can't afford to pass up too many chances like that against this in-form Barcelona team.

Oh, I thought that was the moment!

Vinicius Jnr does brilliantly down the left, breaks into the area, and then cuts inside onto his right foot with just Inaki Pena to beat.

I pressed the goal button in anticipation, but the Brazilian steers his effort well wide of the mark.

A big chance goes begging.

Raphinha has his first crack of the match... it's not great.

He gets into space just outside the area and aims for the top corner, but instead, the ball flies closer to the roof of the stadium than the net.

Not his finest effort...

Does Kylian Mabppe know the offside rule?

He has just been flagged for the third time in 20 minutes to ruin a brilliant chance for the hosts.

Just hold your line!

This game is ridiculously open.

Both sides are going hammer and tong for the opener and forgetting about their defences.

It's making for entertaining viewing, I must say.

If you are a fan of either side, though, I bet you are having kittens.

Inaki Pena, that is sensational!

The Barcelona keeper has just made a special stop to deny Jude Bellingham the opener.

Kylian Mbappe drifts in behind and squares the ball for Jude Bellingham who has the goal at his mercy.

The midfielder looks set to score but somehow Pena gets across to get his hand to the ball and push it away.

The flag then goes up, but Pena wasn't to know that.

Now that would have been some way to open your El Clasico account, Kylian.

He tries to lob Inaki Pena from 30 yards as the ball is handed straight to him by Pau Cubarsi.

However, he clips the ball over the bear.

Barcelona then head straight up the other end with Lamine Yamal getting in behind.

But he sends his effort straight at Andriy Lunin.

Oh, Robert...

Lamine Yamal lofts the ball over to Lewandowski and the ball falls invitingly.

The striker goes to hit it on the volley just eight yards from goal, but he completely misses the ball.

It's quite comedic, in all honestly.

That's much better from Barcelona.

Lamine Yamal picks up the ball and does what he does best, drive at the defence.

He has them backpedaling toward their own goal and then tries to slide in Raphinha.

But he can't quite squeeze the ball through to his captain.

Jude Bellingham has already done something to win over the fans.

He nabs the ball off Barcelona as the attack and then dances around a couple of players by the byline before winning a throw-in.

The fans roar in approval.

It's all Real Madrid in these early stages and the fans are loving it.

They have a succession of corners and Barcelona just keep heading them away one after the other.

The visitors can't get out of their own box.

Phoar, now that would have been some start...

Kylian Mbappe finds himself one-on-one with Inaki Pena inside two minutes, surely he will score.

But no, Pena is up to the task and gets a foot to his strike as the forward aims low at the near post.

It turns out he is offside anyway.

The fans could blow the roof off this stadium today, that's how loud they are.

The home supporters are in fine voice as Kylian Mbappe gets hos first-ever El Clasico underway.

The atmosphere inside the Bernabeu is special right now.

The fans are singing their pre-match anthem as the two teams come out from the tunnel, and it's so special.

Games don't get much bigger than this and the fans really raise their game for it.

I have goosebumps.

Patrick Kluivert, former Barcelona forward, speaking to the Football Daily podcast:

At the moment, I think Barcelona has a slight advantage. Why? Because at the moment they are on fire.

El Clasico is one game. It’s very important the form on the day, how the players are preparing themselves.

It will be a fantastic game because the form both teams have at the moment, you can’t see it won’t be a fantastic game.

The time for talking is almost over...

Both teams have gone through their warm-ups and are now back in the changing rooms for the final team talks.

I would love to be a fly on the wall when the two managers gave their final speeches, wouldn't you?

While Real Madrid have Vinicius Jnr, Barcelona have Raphinha!

The Barca skipper has been on fire this season, he is in the form of his life at the moment.

Like his compatriot, Raphinha netted a hat-trick in the Champions League in midweek, shipping three past Bayern Munich.

In just 13 matches this season, the Brazilian has nine goals and eight assists in all competitions.

He scores goals, and he makes them too.

Raphinha's come a long way from his days in West Yorkshire, eh?

Hansi Flick, Barcelona boss, speaking on Friday:

We have our ideas. Our philosophy is to press high, and make it hard for the opponent to play out. Being close, very close together.

Too much space between the lines doesn't work for us. Real Madrid have very quick players, but I have full confidence in my team.

On Monday night, we will find out which player has won the Ballon d'Or.

Will it be Jude Bellingham, or maybe Kylian Mbappe, who takes home the crown?

Well, the favourite is actually their team-mate Vinicius Jnr, who scored a hat-trick on Wednesday night against Borussia Dortmund.

Tonight is his last chance to show what he has got before the verdict is called out next week.

Will he show why he is the favourite tonight?

Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid boss, speaking on Friday:

Fortunately, at the moment nobody keeps me awake at night. (Barcelona) are doing very well. But in a match like the Clasico, it's very difficult to pick a favourite beforehand. It depends on the dynamics of the match. It's a matter of how you are able to handle the pressure, to deal with the tempo and how to identify the moments of the match.

Barca have a very clear idea of how they play the game, they are performing very well. They are a very brave team and we need to prepare well for the game and try to play our best version.

It's not a type of match where you have to give big speeches. Playing like we did in the second half against Dortmund for 90 minutes is impossible, but that should be our starting point, what we will try to achieve. I think we did a lot of things right. We will prepare the game to do the right things with and without the ball. We have to play a complete game to win and we will try to do that.

The question is, who is that star?

Real Madrid are a team full of superstars, as I have already said, but not all of them have been performing.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Real Madrid were concerned about one of their biggest players' performances.

I'll give you one hint...

The player in question is a regular who can play in more than one position on the pitch.

They are starting tonight and Los Blancos will hope they deliver.

Find out who it is below:

I wonder how those supporters are feeling.

This is the time before the game when the nerves really start to get going, but excitement brews in parallel.

As a fan, the anticipation before a match of this magnitude simply can't be beaten.

Supporters from both sides are now making their way to the stadium as kick-off closes in.

The atmosphere in the Bernabeu tonight will be wicked - I just know it.

It's a monumental day in the career of Kylian Mbappe.

He is Real Madrid's biggest star, so nights like tonight are the stages where he can shine brightest.

I bet he will be feeling nervous, as he is expected to deliver, but there will be some excitement there too.

These are the days he was brought in for, now is his time to prove his worth.

Do we reckon he will get on the scoresheet?

These lads are blooming focused, my word.

Lamine Yamal's smile has gone and Jude Bellingham is looking steely-eyed out in that pitch.

No time for fun and games tonight, that's for sure.

You know I told you how much Jude Bellingham loves El Clasico?

Well, I have the evidence for you right here.

Here is nearly four minutes of Bellingham scoring and celebrating against Real Madrid's bitter rivals.

This should whet your appetite...

I remember when I was little, I always wanted to watch El Clasico. I loved it.

But I never could due to TV licensing rights, it's always been pretty hard to get access to LaLiga games.

However, these days I don't have that problem which is a blessing.

If you not only want to read my blog this evening but actually catch the action too, then you can.

Premier Sports is the place to go to catch the action, they are streaming El Clasico but also show many other LaLiga matches.

Barcelona have not been fans of El Clasico in recent times.

Why you ask? Well, there is a relatively straightforward explanation.

The Catalonians have not won any of their last four matches against Real Madrid.

They lost both of the LaLiga matches last season due to last-minute Jude Bellingham winners. Pretty brutal, right?

And they have also conceded 13 goals against Los Blancos in that time. Not great.

So, they will want to make things right tonight.

Jude Bellingham has been under a lot of criticism in the past few weeks.

Who would have thought that Real Madrid fans would be like that, eh?

They are not happy with the fact that Bellingham is yet to score this season compared to how he did it with regularity last.

Well, tonight is the chance for him to win them over again.

he netted three goals in this fixture in his first season at the club, including two late winners.

Oh, how he could do with another one of those tonight.

Hansi Flick certainly has his favoured starting line-up.

The German has stuck with the side that demolished Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.

The average age of this XI is just 24 years old.

Do you feel old yet? Well, I bet Robert Lewandowski certainly does.

This is what you call a star-studded cast!

Kylian Mbappe will enjoy his first El Clasico from the first whistle as he leads the line for Real Madrid.

Both Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo miss out due to injuries sustained against Borussia Dortmund in midweek.

Jude Bellingham, however, starts.

Lamine Yamal looks a happy lad, doesn't he?

The winger is certainly not fazed by the biggest of occasions. In fact, he rises to them.

Alongside his team-mates, the 17-year-old has arrived on enemy soil and is scouting out the turf.

Will he score on it later?

Previous meetings: 257

Real Madrid wins: 105

Draws: 52

Barcelona wins: 100

Latest meeting: Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona (La Liga, April 2024)

These two teams are in completely different stages of their development right now.

Real Madrid have project Galacticos 2.0. They are a team of megastars and are arguably have the most talented squad on the planet.

Then there is Barcelona, who have had a rebirth under Hansi Flick and have gone back to their roots of La Masia.

While they have different ways of going about it, both have been effective so far in this campaign.

Barcelona sit top on 27 points after 10 games, while Madrid sit just one place and three points behind them.

It's the first time we have seen the teams face off this year, but there is no doubt it will be dramatic.

Expect a chaotic but brilliant 90 minutes.

It's time for the big one.

There is no bigger match in football than El Clasico, is there?

The whole world stops and watches the two giants of Spanish football go head-to-head.

'Clash of the Titans' is not a term I use loosely, but it is certainly relevant in the context of this match-up.

While it is only two months into the season, this match could have massive connotations for the rest of the season.

I simply can't wait for this to get going!