Barcelona produced a sensational display to thrash fierce rivals and reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
A brilliant brace from Robert Lewandowski, along with goals from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Brazilian winger Raphinha, secured an emphatic victory for Hansi Flick’s side in one of the most dominant El Clasico performances in recent years.
Softfootball understands that Yamal also made history by becoming the youngest player ever to score in an El Clasico at just 17 years old.
Both sides entered the blockbuster encounter in high spirits after impressive UEFA Champions League victories in midweek. Real Madrid had staged a remarkable 5-2 comeback against Borussia Dortmund, inspired by Vinicius Junior’s hat-trick, while Barcelona dismantled Bayern Munich 4-1 with Raphinha also scoring three goals.
However, it was a frustrating evening for Kylian Mbappe, whose first El Clasico appearance ended in disappointment. The French forward squandered several good chances and also had a goal ruled out for offside.
After a closely contested first half, Barcelona finally broke the deadlock in the 54th minute when Lewandowski timed his run perfectly to beat Madrid’s offside trap before calmly finishing past the goalkeeper.
The Polish striker doubled Barcelona’s advantage just two minutes later, rising highest to head home an inviting cross after being left completely unmarked inside the penalty area.
Barcelona continued to dominate and added a third in the 77th minute through Yamal, who fired an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net after being picked out by Raphinha on a swift counterattack.
Raphinha then capped a memorable evening six minutes from time, latching onto a long pass before delicately lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper to complete the rout.
The emphatic victory sees Barcelona move to 30 points after 11 matches, opening up a six-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table.
