FC Barcelona have lost the first Clásico of the season, 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, in a game where, if we are perfectly honest, Real Madrid were the better team on the day. But the Catalans managed to prevent the all-whites from extending their lead beyond a single goal and stayed within touching distance of taking home a very valuable point.

the game as it happened

But this time it wasn't to be. The late heroics failed to emerge, and instead they suffered their first defeat in this famous fixture of the Hansi Flick era — although the coach himself was unable to take his seat on the bench due to suspension, leaving his deputy Marcus Sorg in charge today.

The defeat means that an opportunity to return to the top of the Liga table has gone begging, and instead a five-point gap has opened up between Barça and their fiercest rivals.

Under pressure

All three goals came in a frenetic first half in which Madrid dominated so much of the play that Barça could perhaps count themselves fortunate not be trailing by a wider margin. Until Fermín López slammed in an equaliser from a Marcus Rashford assist on 38 minutes, the Liga champions had barely conjured a single major goalscoring chance, while their hosts had created plenty at the other end but only had one goal to show for it.

A penalty decision in Madrid’s favour after just three minutes was followed by an agonising wait before the referee confirmed that Lamine Yamal had not fouled Vinícius Júnior. If anything, it was the other way around.

Then an absolute screamer from Kylian Mbappé looked to have given Madrid the lead, but that one was chalked off for the slightest of offsides.

Barça got away with it again — but not the third time, when Jude Bellingham’s defence-splitting pass found Mbappé, and the French striker added yet another goal to his Clásico collection.

Moment of hope

It was reminiscent of other meetings between the sides last season. The all-whites — and Mbappé in particular — were utterly rampant early on. But things eventually turned right, very right, for Barça in those games, and when Fermín managed to bring Barça level, one began to dream that it might all happen again.

But unlike on previous occasions, this time Madrid were not going to cave in. Wojciech Szczęsny, Barça’s best player today for sure, came to the rescue a couple of times before a looping high ball from Vinícius drifted over everyone’s heads to find an unmarked Bellingham at the far post. The Englishman tapped in a simple finish to restore Madrid’s lead — the officials showing no interest in a possible foul on Pau Cubarsí.

There was still time for another Mbappé goal to be disallowed for offside before the break. Barça were still in this, but a lot needed to change if they were to get something out of it.

Penalty save

The changes did come. Barça were far more proactive after the restart, despite a nasty shock just moments after the ball started rolling again. Real Madrid were awarded a penalty for an Eric García handball. Mbappé stepped up to take it — and Szczęsny stepped up to save it!

Very little was going right for Barça in this nerve-racking spectacle, but the game was still very much alive, and at long last we were treated to prolonged periods of blaugrana pressure. Madrid have been punished by so many Barça comebacks of late that they naturally feared it might happen again. But the composure that was waning up front was not lost at the back…

Blocked out

Barça were finding it frighteningly difficult to turn any of that pressure into real chances. In fact, Madrid were creating more trouble with their ferocious counterattacks, with Bellingham finding the net only for Barça to be saved yet again by the offside flag, while several other chances for the home side went begging.

But it was still just 2-1, and as the game entered the final minutes, Barça pushed harder and harder for a late equaliser. The spark they needed, though, never came. Instead, the game ended in an ugly climax: Pedri was sent off for a second yellow, tempers started to flare, but the point-salvaging miracle never came.

Now the team has a week to pick themselves up from this painful setback and prepare for the next test. Elche are the visitors to the Estadi Olímpic next Sunday at 6.30pm CET.

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