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Real Madrid vs. Barcelona score: El Clasico result, stats as Blancos win La Liga rivalry, take commanding lead

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Real Madrid have truly ushered in a new era of Los Blancos football under Xabi Alonso, as the hosts stopped a four-match losing streak to El Clasico rivals Barcelona with a 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu on Sunday.

In Alonso’s El Clasico managerial debut, his top stars were the ones to deliver the win, as Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham find the back of the net!

Mbappe also saw a penalty saved, unable to extend the lead further, but it didn’t matter in the end as Alonso’s side proved stout off the ball while protecting the lead.

Madrid were by far the better side in the end, as they pummeled Wojciech Szczesny’s goal throughout the match. They were twice denied the opener by VAR in the first 15 minutes of the match, and were denied by the linesman’s flag two other times with the ball in the back of the net.

After Mbappe finally survived a check for offside and had the opener, Fermin Lopez gave Barcelona life to briefly level the score at 1-1 until Bellingham’s goal just before halftime gave Madrid the lead for good. Szczesny was stout in goal, keeping the one-goal deficit intact and giving Barcelona a chance.

The visitors struggled in midfield however, as Madrid won loose balls and were more dangerous in transition. The defeat was compounded for Barcelona as midfielder Pedri was sent off for a second yellow card in the dying moments of the match, which led to a fracas on the touchline that extended onto the pitch once the final whistle blew.

In the end, the win saw Real Madrid extend their lead atop the La Liga standings to five points above their Clasico opponents, putting Alonso’s team into a commanding position early in the 2025/26 season.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona final score

  Score Goal scorers
Real Madrid 2 Mbappe (22′),
Bellingham (43′)
Barcelona 1 F. Lopez (38′)

Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid, Spain)
Referee: Cesar Soto Grado

Starting lineups:

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Courtois (GK) — 8. Valverde (Carvajal, 73′), 24. Huijsen, 3. Militao, 18. Carreras — 14. Tchouameni, 6. Camavinga— 15. Guler (B. Diaz, 66′), 5. Bellingham (Ceballos, 89′), 7. Vinicius Jr. (Rodrygo, 73′) — 10. Mbappe (G. Garcia, 89′)

Barcelona (4-2-3-1, right to left): 25. Szczesny (GK) — 23. Kounde, 24. E. Garcia (Araujo, 74′), 5. Cubarsi (Bardghji, 83′), 3. Balde (Martin, 90′) — 21. De Jong, 8. Pedri — 10. Lamine Yamal, 16. F. Lopez, 14. Rashford — 7. F. Torres (Casado, 74′).

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Real Madrid vs. Barcelona stats

Real Madrid Stat Barcelona
23 Shots 15
10 Shots on target 6
3.60 Expected goals 1.03
32% Possession 68%
222 Accurate passes 573
12 Corners 4
12 Fouls 9
4 Yellow cards 1
0 Red cards 1

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona live updates, highlights from El Clasico

FULLTIME: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

Los Blancos halt the losing streak at four games and take a five-point lead atop the La Liga table!

Xabi Alonso gets a deserved win in his first Clasico as Real Madrid manager, and it’s clear that this Blancos side is a different team under new management. They were tenacious and bold, and were clearly the better side in this first Clasico of the 2025/26 season.

90+10 min: RED CARD, BARCELONA! OH NO, a bad day gets worse as Pedri is sent off for a second booking! He’d been carded earlier for dragging back Vinicius Jr, and then is booked for a horrible tackle in midfield! A heavy touch saw him lose control of the ball, and he goes sliding in to the standing leg of Aurelien Tchouameni.

Now there’s a fight on the touchline! There’s mayhem on the benches, as Andriy Lunin and Eder Militao are in the middle of the melee!

90+9 min: Fermin Lopez gets a frustration yellow card during a stoppage on the touchline in his own half.

90+5 min: Chance, Real Madrid! Rodrygo cuts inside while weaving through traffic and fires a right-footed shot on goal, but it’s too central and saved easily by Wojciech Szczesny, who’s been very good in this game!

89th min: Chance, Barcelona! OH NO! Jules Kounde was clean through on goal, fed in by Lamine Yamal, but he can’t control it off his chest, and it bounces into the safe arms of Thibaut Courtois! That was the moment!

NINE added minutes are shown, which is quite a lot! There haven’t been too many stoppages this half, so that feels excessive, especially after there were seven minutes shown in the first half for two VAR reviews.

Real Madrid make two more changes, as Dani Ceballos comes on for Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappe is withdrawn for Gonzalo Garcia.

88th min: Chance, Real Madrid! Kylian Mbappe gets free down the left but is marshaled too wide and his tight-angle shot is across the face of goal and wide of the far post!

Real Madrid have been happy to concede possession to Barcelona and just hound the visitors to keep them out of the attacking third, looking for opportunities on the break. There’s been very little for the Catalan side to cling to down the stretch, as Madrid have been excellent off the ball.

83rd min: Vinicius Jr. is spotted back on the Real Madrid bench. Someone must have given him an earful in the tunnel! He’s still ranting and raving, though.

Barcelona bring on an attacking punt, as young attacker Roony Bardghji comes on for Pau Cubarsi.

72nd min: Xabi Alonso recalls Vinicius Jr. to bring on Rodrygo, and the former is FURIOUS at his withdrawal. It’s a confusing decision for sure, but the player absolutely cannot be reacting like this. He angrily talks to himself the entire way off the pitch, and then instead of joining his teammates on the bench he heads straight down the tunnel. What a tantrum!!

Fede Valverde is also finally replaced by Dani Carvajal after teasing that replacement for a while. Barcelona counter by bringing Ronald Araujo for Eric Garcia and Marc Casado for Ferran Torres.

VIDEO: Watch Vinicius Jr. substitution in USA

68th min: Chance, Real Madrid! Jude Bellingham has the ball in the back of the net, but the flag goes up for a pretty blatant offside in the buildup as Brahim Diaz is caught by the offside trap. It was quite obvious at the time, but the flag stayed down to let the play continue, before finally going up once the ball hit the back of the net.

66th min: Federico Valverde is down and looks like he cannot continue. Dani Carvajal has been warming for quite some time with Fede on a yellow card, but was sat on the bench and will have to hurry to get himself dressed to come on….well, maybe not! The medical crew gives the thumbs up that Valverde is ok to continue, as Carvajal is informed on the touchline and gives a frustrating look.

It’s all a bit silly in the end! Brahim Diaz enters by himself, replacing Arda Guler who has struggled while deployed out wide instead of in the middle. 

58th min: Dean Huijsen is booked for a crunching tackle on Fermin Lopez just outside the top of the penalty area. It gives Barcelona a free-kick, which evades its target at the far post and is claimed by Wojciech Szczesny.

It starts a transition for Real Madrid as Eder Militao of all people beats Alex Balde around the outside and finds himself all alone down the left, but the chance evaporates as he looks to cut the ball back to the top of the penalty area where Barcelona defenders are recovering.

50th min: PENALTY, REAL MADRID! There’s a long look here at a slow-motion replay for a handball in the penalty area by Eric Garcia, who goes sliding down and sees the ball clip his arm! Sure enough, the referee goes to the monitor to review, and…PENALTY!!!

This is a LUDICROUS decision. The ball deflects TWICE, first off Garcia’s leg and then off Bellingham’s hip before clipping his arm! What an outrageously harsh penalty!

Up steps Kylian Mbappe, who…HAS THE PENALTY SAVED! WHAT AN EFFORT BY WOJCIECH SZCZESNY!!!! He dives to his right and reaches up to stop the effort! Ball don’t lie!!!

Watch penalty save in USA:

47th min: Chance, Barcelona! Marcus Rashford does extremely well to get free down the left, building a two-on-four opportunity for Barcelona, and his cut inside to the right frees up a pass to Fermin Lopez for a shot from 16 yards out, but his effort is tame and easily saved!

2nd half kickoff: The final 45 minutes are now under way, and we expect more fireworks before the end of this match! Can Real Madrid avoid more self-inflicted wounds to hold the lead, or will Barcelona mount another comeback?

There are no changes for either side, but we’ll be watching Fede Valverde because he’s been booked early in the match and Xabi Alonso sent Dani Carvajal to warm up on his own both before the halftime break and just before the restart.

HALFTIME: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

What a sensational first 45 minutes!! An electric rivalry match has seen Real Madrid dominate proceedings, and they will feel they deserve a bigger lead after having two goals chalked off by VAR and another ruled out by the linesman’s flag. Still, Barcelona are very much in this thanks to that gift of a goal, and Madrid must be careful with this lead!

We surely have an exciting second half on the way!

45+1 min: Chance, Real Madrid! Real Madrid has the ball in the back of the net but the flag is up for offside! Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappe are all involved, but the latter is beyond everyone as Thibaut Courtois makes a save deflected straight into the Frenchman’s path.

Six minutes of added time have been shown thanks largely to all the VAR reviews early in the half.

43rd min: GOAL! REAL MADRID! JUDE BELLINGHAM HAS REAL MADRID BACK IN FRONT BEFORE HALFTIME! THEY DESERVE IT FOR SURE!

Vinicius Jr. floats a hopeful cross to the far post, where Eder Militao heads it back across the face of goal. The ball flies just inches above the head of a leaping Dean Huijsen, but falls right at the feet of Bellingham who has a wide open tap-in for the lead!

Watch Jude Bellingham goal in USA:

VIDEO: Watch Jude Bellingham goal in UK

42nd min: Chance, Barcelona! DEAN HUIJSEN CLEARS OFF THE LINE! A great header right on the goal mouth denies Fermin Lopez a second goal, this one off a corner!

Then, as Real Madrid clear their lines and begin a counter, Pedri absorbs a blatant yellow card for dragging the shirt of Vinicius Jr. to keep the transitional opportunity from becoming more dangerous.

38th min: GOAL! BARCELONA! REAL MADRID GIFT BARCELONA THE EQUALISER, FERMIN LOPEZ BRINGS IT LEVEL!

Arda Guler has his pocket picked in his own defensive third, and Barcelona slice the Real Madrid defence apart as Lopez finishes it off from a central position!!!

Watch Fermin Lopez goal in USA:

VIDEO: Watch Fermin Lopez goal in UK

37th min: Chance, Real Madrid! Alvaro Carreras cuts it back BEAUTIFULLY all the way across the penalty area to Jude Bellingham atop the 18-yard box, and the England international slices one on goal, but it’s too central to beat Wojciech Szczesny!

34th min: Chance, Barcelona! The visitors have their first big scoring chance, but Ferran Torres flubs the effort and doesn’t get any power on the shot, making it easy for Thibaut Courtois to save!

31st min: Real Madrid are PUMMELING this Barcelona high line! Only a last-gasp toe-poke from a sliding Alex Balde keeps Kylian Mbappe from being clean through on goal again from a vertical delivery!

30th min: Chance, Real Madrid! DEAN HUIJSEN NEARLY SCORES OFF A FREE-KICK BUT HE’S DENIED BY SZCZESNY! The Barcelona goalkeeper has been pummeled this first half, and makes another huge stop with a last-gasp save on the Madrid centre-back who gets on the end of a set-piece delivery!

Los Blancos are flying against this high Barcelona line!

29th min: Chance, Real Madrid! Kylian Mbappe has been exceedingly dangerous today, and he has another go, this time from a tight angle on the right, which forces a big save from Wojciech Szczesny!

23rd min: A yellow card is shown to Federico Valverde shortly after the restart for a very late foul on Marcus Rashford.

This has been a very difficult match to officiate, as there has been a lot of tight challenges which could go either way. It’s not been overtly physical from either side, but the 50-50 balls are being skillfully contested which makes it difficult for the referee. There’s lots of talent on this pitch!

22nd min: GOAL! REAL MADRID! THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM FOR REAL MADRID, AND NOW KYLIAN MBAPPE HAS GIVEN THEM THE LEAD!

He’s played clean through on goal by Jude Bellingham, and the linesman’s flag stays down! Barcelona are protesting that he was offside, but it appears he times his run perfectly!

There’s a VERY nervy wait for the VAR decision…BUT FINALLY IT’S GIVEN! Madrid do indeed have their lead!

VIDEO: Watch Mbappe goal in USA | Watch Mbappe goal in UK

12th min: Chance, Real Madrid! IT’S A WONDER GOAL FROM KYLIAN MBAPPE!!!!! WHAT A GLORIOUS OPENER!!!

The Frenchman picked up the ball between the two Barcelona centre-backs about 22 yards from goal, and as he turns to goal, he sees Wojciech Szczesny well out of position and whips a beautiful strike with the outside of his foot that evades the Barcelona goalkeeper!

BUT NO!!!!!! AGAIN IT’S CHALKED OFF BY VAR!!!! This time Mbappe is offside when he receives the ball! To be honest, live it seemed legal, but the review takes away a brilliant strike! It’s still level, and by the literal width of his sock!

2nd min: Chance, Real Madrid! The home side is already viewing a lead as Vinicius Jr. is fouled in the penalty area as Lamine Yamal steps in and the Brazilian kicks his foot! The referee points to the penalty spot!

BUT NO!!!! There’s a VAR review here, and….NO PENALTY!!! Not only are there questions about Vinicius Jr. possibly being offside in the buildup, but the referee waves away the decision! Lamine doesn’t get a touch on the ball, but because Vinicius kicks the back of his foot, after review the referee says he was the one to commit the foul!

The television broadcast is beside itself with the reversal, but in truth, very few Madrid players are protesting, and the decision is the correct one.

Kickoff: The first Clasico of the season is under way at the Bernabeu!

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kickoff: Barcelona haven’t won five straight against Real Madrid since the glory days of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets from 2008-2010.

A win today at the Bernabeu would not only match that record, but would also take them top of the La Liga table!

30 mins to kickoff: Even as Real Madrid have struggled to get results in recent El Clasico matches, Kylian Mbappe has been outstanding up front. The Frenchman has scored four goals in the last four meetings with Barcelona, and will hope to continue that record against today’s visitors at the Bernabeu.

45 mins to kickoff: Today is the first time in El Clasico history that two English players will face off against one another in the opposing starting lineups! Well done to Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford for making history in the world’s most famous rivalry.

1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in! It’s largely as expected for both sides, but there are slight tweaks from each manager.

For Real Madrid, Arda Guler has excelled in a central role this season, either at the No. 10 spot in place of an injured Jude Bellinham or back in a deeper role after Bellingham’s return. Today, however, he starts out wide, with Eduardo Camavinga brought back into the lineup and Franco Mastantuono on the bench. It’s a gamble from Xabi Alonso.

For Barcelona, Ferran Torres is deployed up front, with Marcus Rashford on the left wing in place of an injured Raphinha. Fermin Lopez plays at the No. 10, while Pedri drops into a deeper role in midfield with Marc Casado dropping out.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: Real Madrid fans have grown used to suffering through an injury crisis the last few years, but it’s a relatively new thing for Barcelona. The Catalan giants are most notably without their goalkeeper Joan Garcia as well as Ballon d’Or contender Raphinha, but it goes beyond just that.

Robert Lewandowski is missing up front, as is regular No. 10 Dani Olmo. Gavi is still missing after his knee surgery, and even their manager Hansi Flick is suspended for a red card last time out.

Raphinha is at least on hand to show his support from the stands, even if he cannot play.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Today’s referee is Cesar Soto Grado, who La Liga announced only yesterday as in charge of the match. As both Real Madrid and Barcelona (but mostly the former) get louder and louder with their anti-referee agenda, the league has pulled tried to combat the narrative by leaving their appointments until the last moment.

La Liga hopes that Grado’s track record of experience — he was the only official to make 21 appearances last season, for example — will give him an edge in today’s match.

Barcelona fans will see their record of six wins, three draws, and five losses in matches officiated by Grado as less than stellar. In fact, the last Clasico Grado refereed was…the last time Real Madrid won, the 3-2 Blancos win referenced below!

1 hour 45 mins to kick: The last time Real Madrid beat Barcelona was on April 11, 2024 when Jude Bellingham scored a 91st minute winner here at the Bernabeu to not only secure three points but put themselves essentially clean through to the title, as they would go on to win the league crown by a whopping 10 points that season.

For Real Madrid fans, that feels eons ago now.

2 hours to kickoff: For a re-tooled Real Madrid side, this will be the first El Clasico for a number of key figures in the squad, like Andreas Carreras, Dean Huijsen (if he is fit), and Franco Mastantuono.

Most importantly, however, this is Alonso’s first go at the rivalry as manager. He played 30 times against Barcelona as a player, the most of any opposition club, but struggled in those games, winning just eight, drawing seven, and suffering 15 defeats.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona kick off time

This La Liga match kicks off from the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, October 26 at 5:15 p.m. local time in Madrid, Spain. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:

  Date Kickoff time
USA/Canada Sun, Oct. 26 11:15 a.m. ET
USA/Canada Sun, Oct. 26 8:15 a.m. PT
UK Sun, Oct. 26 4:15 p.m. GMT
Australia Mon, Oct. 27 2:15 a.m. AEDT
India Sun, Oct. 26 8:45 p.m. IST

Current La Liga standings

Pos. Team GP Points W-D-L Goal Diff. GF-GA
1. Real Madrid 9 24 8-0-1 +11 20-9
2. Barcelona 9 22 7-1-1 +14 24-10
3. Villarreal 9 17 5-2-2 +6 16-10
4. Atletico Madrid 9 16 4-4-1 +6 16-10

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona lineups, team news

With Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba both already missing at the back, Real Madrid have to make a call on the fitness of Raul Asencio who was withdrawn late in the midweek Champions League win over Juventus. Thankfully, Dean Huijsen could be fit enough for a return from his muscle injury, just in time to take over.

Two defenders could be recalled as well, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal both potentially set for a return, although they could be brought back slowly with just a place on the bench for now.

Arda Guler thrived in a deeper midfield role midweek, and that will likely keep Eduardo Camavinga out of the XI for another game. Xabi Alonso has a call to make as he continues to rotate Franco Mastantuono and Brahim Diaz on the right wing opposite Vinicius Jr. on the left.

Real Madrid starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Courtois (GK) — Valverde, Huijsen, Militao, Carreras — Tchouameni, Camavinga — Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr. — Mbappe

Real Madrid subs: Lunin (GK), Carvajal, Asencio, Alexander-Arnold, F. Garcia, Mendy, Ceballos, B. Diaz, Rodrygo, Mastantuono, G. Garcia, Endrick.

Like Real Madrid, Barcelona have a number of injuries to contend with for El Clasico.

Confirmed absences include Robert Lewandowski, who has been missing for much of the early season with a muscle injury, and Dani Olmo will also miss out with a calf issue.

It was thought Barcelona could get both Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong back for this match, as both have returned to training, but the former is still absent from the matchday squad, while the latter is back in the XI.

Coach Hansi Flick is suspended for the match after being sent off late in last weekend’s win over Getafe. He still had calls to make, as he had to decide where to deploy in-form Marcus Rashford, while electing to start Eric Garcia over Ronald Araujo at the back.

Barcelona starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Szczesny (GK) — Kounde, E. Garcia, Cubarsi, Balde — De Jong, Pedri — Lamine Yamal, F. Lopez, Rashford — F. Torres.

Barcelona subs: Kochen (GK), Aller (GK), Martin, Espart, Araujo, Torrents, Bernal, Casado, D. Fernandez, A. Fernandez, Bardghji.

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