Bellingham steals the show again… Real Madrid outshine Barcelona

Real Madrid came from behind to beat Barcelona 2-1 in a dramatic first El Clásico of the season in LaLiga on Saturday at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium thanks to a second-half brace by Jude Bellingham who has been in a fantastic form for the Los Blancos since joining from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

Despite missing some of their best players due to injury Barça thoroughly outplayed Madrid for 60 minutes and some would argue that they deserved a lot more from the game, but Jude Bellingham’s special second half gave Madrid all three points in the biggest club football game in Spain.

FIRST HALF

The Blaugrana got off to a great start, moving the ball from back to front and producing strong offensive play with swift, accurate passes.

After six minutes, they were rewarded for their hard work early on as Ilkay Gündogan and Ferran Torres tried a one-two at the edge of the box. Gündogan never gave up on the play, winning the ball from David Alaba in the box and passed it under Kepa Arrizabalaga’s legs to give the home team the lead.

Although it took them some time to understand Barça’s formation, Madrid eventually got the hang of it and started to enjoy some possession. However, during the first half hour, they were never able to seriously threaten Marc-André ter Stegen.

Thanks to an excellent tactical strategy and some outstanding individual efforts, Barça dominated the first half as it ended with them winning 1-0, and they were in great shape going into the second half.

SECOND HALF

After five minutes of play in the second half, Barcelona nearly doubled their lead as Iñigo Martínez struck the bar and Araujo tested Kepa from the rebound.

As Madrid started to possess the ball slightly more, Jude Bellingham nearly found himself one-on-one with Ter Stegen until Gavi made an incredible sliding tackle to deny the 20-year-old a chance to score. Barcelona managed to keep control of the game, and that was the only real danger Madrid presented.

With thirty minutes remaining, Xavi made his first change, bringing in Robert Lewandowski for the injured Ferran Torres in an attempt to give the home team the crucial second goal. Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti introduced Joselu and Modric off the bench in an attempt to invigorate the Madrid team.

After Aurélien Tchouameni’s rocket from outside the box in the 67th minute tested Ter Stegen’s reflexes for the first time in the game, the German goalkeeper was unable to stop Bellingham’s next long-range effort, which found the top corner before Ter Stegen could reach it.

The goal gave the visitors a boost of energy and they suddenly took control of the match. Xavi responded to Madrid’s sudden attacks by sending Oriol Romeu to shore up the defence of the Blaugrana midfield. Shortly after, as Madrid started to push more forward, the coach made two more attacking substitutions: Raphinha, who was back from injury and young Lamine Yamal.

After a difficult stretch, Barça finally showed signs of attacking life as the game entered the final ten minutes. The home team began to attack again, with Lewandowski and Gavi both coming relatively close with long-range shots.

In the final moments of the added time, the match appeared completely open, with all three points up for grabs. However, Madrid were the ones to seize the opportunity when Dani Carvajal’s cross was deflected by Luka Modric at the near post, going over Iñigo Martínez’s head and landing perfectly on Bellingham’s path for his and Madrid’s second goal deep into stoppage time.

Barça’s unbeaten streak was ended with the final whistle, as there was no time for them to stage a late comeback.

Chimezie Amos