Mbappé double sinks Barcelona late as Real Madrid win El Clásico 2-1 at Camp Nou

Late Mbappé strike hands Madrid a famous win at Camp Nou

Real Madrid came from behind to beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappé scoring both goals and the winner arriving deep into added pressure. The result ended Barcelona's perfect start to the LaLiga season and turned a race that looked to be slipping away from Madrid into something far more open.

Barcelona had been hoping to become the first team on record to start a season in one of Europe's top five leagues with 10 straight wins, and had built a six-point cushion over their rivals. Instead, the Catalans leave with a significantly tighter table, with Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid separated by just three points at the top.

Own goal gives Madrid the lead

The match was a tight, physical contest in its opening period. Madrid were most dangerous down their left, where Yan Diomandé was a constant threat. Xavi Espart controlled him well until the teenager was forced off with an injury around the half-hour mark, and Alejandro Balde's introduction brought João Cancelo over to right-back, where he struggled to cope with Diomandé.

The breakthrough came in the 41st minute. Marc Cucurella slipped Diomandé into the area and his low cross was dangerous. Gerard Martín went to clear but blasted the ball against Mbappé and into the net. Lamine Yamal then had a golden chance to level, scuffing a finish wide at the near post when he was one-on-one with the keeper.

Raphinha equalises as Barcelona push

Barcelona came out with more control after the break, with Madrid forced to defend deep. Gerard Martín made a sensational defensive play to stop a counter-attack involving Jude Bellingham and Mbappé, and Andriy Lunin made a remarkable save to deny Martín's header from a Cancelo corner.

The equaliser arrived on the hour. Yamal took a quick corner to Pedri, whose clever reversed pass found Raphinha, who struck low into the net. Raphinha has now scored 13 LaLiga goals this season. Barcelona continued to press, with Raphinha denied at one end and Joan García saving from Arda Güler at the other, but the game remained finely balanced.

Camavinga sets up Mbappé's winner

With around ten minutes left, Gabriel Jesus lost possession easily in midfield, sparking a Madrid counter. Eduardo Camavinga won the race for the ball against Pau Cubarsí and fed Mbappé, who finished with a tap-in two minutes from time. Madrid then wasted time effectively as Barcelona searched for a late equaliser.

The victory was a significant moment for Mbappé, who is in contention for the Ballon d'Or. His brace took him to five goals in two visits to Camp Nou as a Madrid player, the most by any Madrid player since the start of the 2013-14 season, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, who had four each.

Mourinho's unbeaten Clásico run continues

José Mourinho celebrated on the sideline with a knee slide, and his unbeaten run in Clásico matches now stands at six games (W4 D2), the longest for a Real Madrid coach since Miguel Muñoz (1962 to 1965) and Vicente del Bosque (2001 to 2003), who both had seven-match streaks. For Hansi Flick, the defeat was a second straight loss in five days following the midweek Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, and his wait for a 100th Barcelona win goes on.

Yamal, who had a glaring chance to equalise, failed to hit the target with any of his five shots, which carried a team-high 0.51 expected goals, and he created no chances.