Barcelona staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Real Madrid 4-3 in La Liga on Sunday, moving to the brink of the title.
Despite Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick, Raphinha’s double and goals from Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia secured a crucial victory for Hansi Flick’s side.
Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals by Inter Milan on Tuesday, but they resisted the pressure and battled back to claim a fourth Clasico victory from four meetings this season.
“We’ve opened up an important gap, it was key to win this game after the Champions League (defeat), the fans have forgotten it and so have we, let’s enjoy this,” Yamal said.
Real Madrid are set to finish the season without a major trophy. “We have to defend better, that is quite evident from today’s game, we defended badly and that’s that,” said Carlo Ancelotti. Mbappe did well, but Madrid’s defensive lapses proved costly.
Mbappe earned a penalty when he was scythed down by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, and he doubled Madrid’s advantage with a lethal finish after Vinicius Junior played him through.
However, Barcelona fought their way back, with Garcia heading home from a corner and Yamal leveling with a cultured bending effort.
Raphinha sent Barca ahead with a drilled shot, and he netted his second, picking Lucas Vazquez’s pocket on the edge of the area and beating Courtois. Mbappe thought he had won another penalty, but VAR revealed an offside in the build-up.
Barcelona could seal the title as early as Wednesday, should Real Madrid stumble against Mallorca.
The victory has given Barcelona a seven-point lead with three matches remaining, and they will be confident of winning their first league title since 2023.
AFP
