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Mbappé, ‘the El Clásico man’

Published : Monday, 26 October, 2026 at 8:23 AM

Observer Online Report

Kylian Mbappé showed his class on the eve of the Ballon d’Or announcement. He ended Barcelona’s winning run in La Liga, scoring twice to lead Real Madrid to a 2–1 victory in the first El Clásico of the season.

Since joining Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024, Mbappé has maintained an outstanding scoring record in El Clásico matches. Across all competitions, the 27-year-old has now scored eight goals in seven El Clásico appearances.

Mbappé’s goal four minutes before the end of the first half came with a considerable amount of luck. Barcelona defender Gerard Martín attempted to clear a low cross from Real Madrid’s Yao Diomande, but the ball struck the French forward and deflected past goalkeeper Joan García into the net.

Barcelona equalized 16 minutes into the second half. After receiving a pass from Pedri, captain Raphinha struck the ball through Jude Bellingham’s legs and sent it into the far corner.

Just when it seemed the match was heading for a draw, a brilliant piece of play by Bellingham in midfield initiated an attack. Substitute Eduardo Camavinga carried the ball forward and passed it to Mbappé. The French star calmly tapped the ball into an empty net to score the winner.

However, in the six previous matches in which Mbappé had featured, Real Madrid had won only once. Those matches included a 4–3 league defeat in May 2025, when Mbappé scored a hattrick despite his team losing.

This season, only Raphinha, with 13 goals, has scored more than Mbappé in La Liga. At Camp Nou, Mbappé scored his 10th and 11th league goals of the campaign.

Real Madrid secured the victory without forward Vinícius Júnior, who was suspended, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was ruled out through illness. However, Andriy Lunin proved himself a capable replacement in his first club appearance of the season.

The Ukrainian goalkeeper saved three shots from English winger Anthony Gordon in the first half. Just after Raphinha’s equalizer, Lunin also produced an excellent save to deny Martín’s header, a moment that played a crucial role in turning the tide of the match.

-MT

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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