thrash

In a thrilling Clasico match on Saturday, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski scored a fast-paced second-half double to put the leaders on track for a 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid, handing the hosts their first loss in forty-two La Liga games.

At a stunned Bernabeu, the Polish striker scored two goals in three minutes early in the second half, followed by an easy victory late on from captain Raphinha and the youngest Clasico scorer, 17-year-106-day-old Lamine Yamal.

With 30 points, Barca extended their lead at the top, six points ahead of Real Madrid, who had their 13-month unbeaten La Liga run end bitterly.

A win would put them within one enticing win of matching the Catalans’ league record of 43.

With a clinical performance that was true to coach Hansi Flick’s principles of gambling with an aggressively high defence, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid for the first time since March 2023 after four straight Clasico losses.

The visitors were more than at ease playing on the counterattack, taking advantage of Yamal’s and Raphinha’s incredible speed to assist La Liga top scorer Lewandowski.

Real was ahead early on, but they lost a number of chances, mostly due to Kylian Mbappe’s poor play, who missed four close-range opportunities and was sent offside nine times, including having two goals disallowed.

Lewandowski hushed the crowd with a two-goal blitz in the 54th and 56th minutes to reach 14 goals in 11 league games, proving that Barca’s risk-taking strategies paid off even if Real dominated the game.

The hosts attempted to rally, but their string of wasted chances persisted, with Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Mbappe squandering easy chances that incensed their supporters, who began jeering the players.

Barcelona continued to play their game, and it was only a matter of time until they scored two more goals on the counter—one from the ever-dangerous Raphinha six minutes from time and another from the nimble Yamal after 77 minutes.

Concern over the France captain’s sluggish start at Real Madrid after joining from Paris St. Germain in June has grown in the Spanish capital as a result of Mbappe’s poor performance.

He has only scored once in his previous five appearances in all competitions, and three of the eight goals he has scored for Real in his first 13 games were penalty kicks.

It is unclear how Mbappe fits into a Real Madrid club that recently finished a fantastic season without him, winning both the Champions League and La Liga.

He has had trouble connecting with Vinicius Jr., Bellingham, and Rodrygo up front.