Robert Lewandowski scored two goals, and Lamine Yamal added another to spoil Kylian Mbappé’s first clasico, as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 4-0 on Saturday.
This big win in Madrid ended the home team’s unbeaten streak in La Liga at 42 games, just one short of Barcelona’s record from 2017-18. It was Carlo Ancelotti’s team’s first loss since September 23 last year.
Lewandowski opened the scoring with a great assist from Barcelona’s young talent Marc Casadó in the 54th minute, then headed in another goal three minutes later, quieting the fans at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Yamal added to the score in the 77th minute, shooting from an angle over goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. At 17 years and 105 days old, he became the youngest player to score in a clasico, beating teammate Ansu Fati’s record from October 2020.
Raphinha then capitalized on Madrid’s disarray, scoring in the 84th minute with a chip over Lunin.
This win followed Barcelona’s impressive 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and they have outscored their last five opponents 21-2.
“We came here to do just this,” Yamal said. “We had lots of confidence, and when we scored the second goal, we wanted to score a third and then a fourth, as many goals as possible. To win 4-0 at this ground and beat Bayern 4-1 shows that we are ready for anything.”
It’s safe to say that Mbappé had a tough first match against Barcelona in a white shirt.
The French star was caught offside eight times by Barcelona’s organized defense and couldn’t score against second-choice goalkeeper Iñaki Peña when his team was down by two goals.
“We knew they played with a high line, and we just couldn’t take advantage of it,” Ancelotti said. “Sometimes (Mbappé) went offside, but he had three or four chances to score and needed to finish better.”
Hansi Flick had a memorable night in his first clasico as the German coach.
Barcelona still faces financial issues that raise questions about its future, but its young team has made great progress since Flick took over from Barcelona legend Xavi Hernández in the summer.
“Today we played a fantastic match, and it was all about the team. Everyone gave 100%,” Flick said. Ancelotti called him “a gentleman” for calming his bench when they celebrated the fourth goal near Madrid’s side.
After taking a six-point lead over Madrid at the top of La Liga, it’s no longer certain that Madrid will easily win a second straight title with Mbappé on their team.
Casadó was one of five homegrown players Flick included in his starting lineup, the same group that won against Bayern. Six players under 22 years old started for Barcelona, led by 17-year-olds Yamal and Pau Cubarsí.
Casadó showed impressive ball control, reminiscent of Sergi Busquets, as he helped balance the midfield and set up Lewandowski for an easy goal.
Yamal had already outshone Mbappé this summer when Spain beat France to win the European Championship, and he did it again. To top it off, he scored with his “not as good” right foot and proudly showed off his new braces in Barcelona’s colors for the cameras.
