Real Madrid eked out a slender 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a highly entertaining El Clasico fixture today, ending the Catalans’ unbeaten start to the season.
Unsurprisingly, Madrid wonderkid Jude Bellingham was once again the point of difference, with the England international bagging a brace to earn his side a massive comeback victory.
While Los Blancos ultimately came out on top, they didn’t have the best start to the highly anticipated contest, going down inside the opening ten minutes.
Ilkay Gundogan made his mark on the blockbuster fixture, pouncing on a shambolic defending from Madrid before slotting past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Rattled by the early goal, Madrid struggled to lay a foothold in the game despite fielding a much more experienced line-up than their Spanish counterparts.
Despite heading into the game with a handful of key players either on the bench or sidelined, Barca came agonisingly close to doubling their advantage.
Toni Kroos had his pocket picked by the tenacious Gavi in a dangerous area, allowing the eye-catching and in-form Fermin Lopez a crack at goal, but his effort only rattled the post.
Los Blancos offered next to nothing by way of attacking endeavour, with Bellingham heavily subdued, leaving them without a single shot on target heading into the half-time interval.
The second half kicked off in a similar fashion as the first, with Barca threatening from the outset. Once again, they came close to extending their lead but Inigo Martinez was denied by the woodwork.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen didn’t have much to do in the first half, but the German shot-stopper was called into action in the 68th minute, producing a fine diving stop to deny Aurelien Tchouameni.
After enduring a quiet first half, Bellingham stunned the home crowd into silence after unleashing an absolute rocket that rifled into the net and levelled the scoreline.
Bellingham’s strike turned the tide in Madrid’s favour, and the Englishman struck again in the dying embers of the game, slotting home his 13th goal in as many appearances to snatch a dramatic victory for Los Blancos.
The victory ensured Ancelotti’s side return to the La Liga summit with a four-point gap from their title rivals, who will be eager to return to winning ways when they travel to Real Sociedad next week.
