No matter the circumstances, El Clasico always delivers.
Sunday’s match in La Liga between Barcelona and Real Madrid had just about everything. There was a fast start, a spectacular turnaround, tremendous goals, dreadful mistakes, controversial refereeing calls, tightrope tactics, seemingly interminable VAR waits, a thrilling ending that could have gone either way — and a feeling that just about anything could happen at any moment.
Barcelona ultimately edged it 4-3, and are now a small step away from winning this season’s La Liga title, capping off what has been a brilliant first season in charge for Hansi Flick.
Real Madrid played a full part in the drama, but that will be little consolation after losing all four Clasicos this season. They look set for a summer of revolution, starting with the exit of coach Carlo Ancelotti.
This game was full of drama from the very start. Barca did not appear negatively affected by the trauma of their dramatic midweek Champions League semi-final exit at Inter, as they aggressively pressed high up the pitch on Sunday.
But the first key moment came at the other end after little more than three minutes. When centre-back Pau Cubarsi tried and failed to cut out a pass behind him, Kylian Mbappe found himself straight through on goal. Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny crashed into the Frenchman and sent him flying for a clear penalty.
It looked like an offside call might save Barcelona, as Mbappe had been behind the defence when Arda Guler had tried to pick him out. But the officials decided that Cubarsi’s mis-hit pass back to Szczesny after he had miscontrolled the ball had started a new passage of play. Mbappe’s initial position did not matter and he picked himself up to slam in his penalty and make it 1-0.
With 14 minutes played, Madrid had doubled their lead. Mbappe again raced clear behind Cubarsi from Vinicius Junior’s perfectly weighted through ball, and calmly finished past Szczesny.
Barca again claimed the goal should not have stood, arguing that Federico Valverde had fouled Lamine Yamal seconds earlier. It was a debatable call — everyone on Barca’s side was sure a foul was committed, while everyone rooting for Madrid saw their player win the ball cleanly.
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Referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez took the view that the challenge was fair. Madrid were two goals ahead, and looked to be roaring right back into the title race.
Barca are well used to making comebacks through this season, and Madrid ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois soon had to make saves from Yamal and Barca left-back Gerard Martin. The balance of the game had tipped, and Madrid’s lead was halved on 19 minutes. When Ferran Torres flicked on Dani Olmo’s corner, Eric Garcia nipped between Valverde and Raul Asencio to head home from six yards out.
Madrid were rocking and the game was soon level as Pedri drove forward, Torres laid the ball off, and Yamal curled a trademark left-footer inside the far post and out of Courtois’ reach. This time, it was Madrid who howled for a handball against Frenkie de Jong moments before, but Hernandez Hernandez allowed the goal to stand.
For UK readers:
LAMINE. YAMAL. 👏👏
A signature finish curled inside the far post and from 2-0 down, Barcelona are back on level terms 🔵🔴
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 @sbk | 18+ | 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 pic.twitter.com/g5ZNrhIMmk
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 11, 2025
For U.S. readers:
¡LAMINE YAMAL CON UN GOLAZO EMPATA EL PARTIDO! ⚽🔥😍 pic.twitter.com/oy5cqQdMMV
— ESPN Deportes (@ESPNDeportes) May 11, 2025
When Barca took the lead two minutes later, Madrid had nobody to blame but themselves. Midfielder Dani Ceballos tackled his own team-mate Mbappe near halfway, and seconds later Pedri had fed Raphinha for the Brazil forward to rifle low into the net from 15 yards and make it 3-2.
The drama kept coming. Barca wanted a red card when Aurelien Tchouameni took out Torres, but Hernandez Hernandez only showed him a yellow despite the France international appearing to be the last Madrid defender.
Down the other end, Jude Bellingham raced clear behind the Barca defence…
Although his cross arrived just behind Mbappe, the Frenchman went down under a tackle from De Jong, and Hernandez Hernandez immediately pointed to the spot.
Then the images showed Bellingham had been a few centimeters offside from Vinicius Jr’s initial through ball…
… sparing the officials from deciding whether Mbappe had actually dived to win the spot kick — as the replays suggested he very cleverly had.
Within seconds of Madrid thinking they were about to make it 3-3, Barca were 4-2 ahead. Raphinha caught Lucas Vazquez dithering near his own penalty area, then Torres very cleverly teed up his Brazilian team-mate to sweep into the net from close range.
For UK readers:
It’s 4-2 and it’s not even half time! 😱😱
Raphinha gets his second and extends Barcelona’s lead in ElClásico 🔵🔴
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 @sbk | 18+ | 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 pic.twitter.com/PxHnRBjPUz
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 11, 2025
For U.S. readers:
¡DOBLETE DE RAPHINHA!⚽⚽🔥
El brasileño le está dando el cuarto al Barcelona. 👏🤩 pic.twitter.com/cwRvOY6h3d
— ESPN Deportes (@ESPNDeportes) May 11, 2025
Quite incredibly, there was still time remaining in the first half for Mbappe to race clear again and fire past Szczesny. But this time, the Frenchman was half a metre offside.
The incidents and controversy kept coming in the second half. Yamal finished a sweeping counter-attack, only for Barca’s cheers for 5-2 to be hushed by an offside flag against Raphinha.
Not long afterwards, Madrid substitute Luka Modric sent Vinicius Jr completely clear into the Barca half, and he unselfishly gave Mbappe a simple finish to make it 4-3, completing the third Clasico hat-trick from a Madrid player in Barcelona after Ferenc Puskas in 1963 and Karim Benzema in 2023. There could be no complaints about the offside call as Inigo Martinez was a yard behind his defensive colleagues, playing at least four Madrid players onside.
For UK viewers:
And that’s a hat-trick for Kylian Mbappé! 🎩🪄
Real Madrid aren’t out of this one yet ⚪
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 @sbk | 18+ | 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 pic.twitter.com/A6qfYz6Bxy
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 11, 2025
For U.S. viewers:
Hat-trick de Mbappé que acerca al Madrid en El Clásico 👀👏. pic.twitter.com/jLmdiTQg0R
— ESPN Deportes (@ESPNDeportes) May 11, 2025
It remained incredibly exciting for the neutral, and heart-stopping for fans and players on both sides.
When Yamal provided Raphinha with a chance for his hat-trick, the volley on the stretch from three yards flew too high. A 79th-minute shot from Torres clearly struck Tchouameni’s arm close to goal, but the referee (after consulting the pitchside monitor) decided not to award a spot kick, with the Madrid player seemingly unable to get his arm out of the way in time.
As the game ticked towards 90 minutes, Mbappe’s pass forward reached substitute Victor Munoz, on for his first-team debut. The 21-year-old was clean through with only Szczesny to beat but — perhaps understandably given it was his very first touch in La Liga — he mishit his shot into the crowd.
Quite incredibly, stoppage time brought even more drama. First, Mbappe was yet again through on his own, but this time, Szczesny denied him. Tchouameni then headed the resulting corner into the Barca net, and for a second, the score was 4-4 — but Mbappe had hampered the Barca ‘keeper from an offside position.
Into the 95th minute, Fermin Lopez shrugged off an exhausted Valverde, drove straight into the heart of the Madrid area and arrowed an unstoppable shot into the far corner. Cue wild celebrations all around the stadium, including from VIP guest Travis Scott, who twirled a Barca scarf above his head. The Catalans were wearing the U.S. singer, rapper and songwriter’s Cactus Jack record label logo on their shirts as part of their sponsorship deal with Spotify, which is worth €55million (£46m; $62m) annually.
But then the VAR spotted a handball by Lopez near the corner flag before he set off on his run towards goal, denying Barca their fifth.
The final whistle soon came, and exhausted players on both sides fell to the ground before Barca’s quickly got to their feet and celebrated joyously with the fans behind one goal.
The two calmest men in the stadium appeared to be Ancelotti and Flick, who shared a handshake and embrace. The Italian is set to leave Madrid — possibly to take over the Brazil national team — while the German is deservedly feted for building a thrilling young team who are close to completing a domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles.
It was a remarkable game — and another reminder to always, always, watch El Clasico.
(Top photo: The wild celebrations for Fermin Lopez’s eventually disallowed goal; by David Ramos/Getty Images)