Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona: Mbappe and Bellingham on target in all-action first half
It is quietly the best of times for Xabi Alonso, commissioned in the summer to undertake a deep clean of the Real Madrid machine and now doing it with a near-perfect record. Alonso says this is a rebuild season; Alonso has also masterminded a blinding start with 12 wins out of 13.
A win over Barcelona in the first clásico of the season deserves much approbation, even if Barcelona were hobbled, missing Robert Lewandowski but more importantly Raphinha, whose press, blinding pace, daring and execution would surely have asked more questions of the Madrid defence than Marcus Rashford did.
Last season this fixture ended 4-0, Madrid humiliated in front of their fans, before they went on to lose all four games they played against Barcelona. The last was the comeback victory at Montjuic which saw the Catalans open up a four-point lead at the top of the table that would ultimately see them claim the title.
This victory here, at the Santiago Bernabeu, opening up a five-point gap between Madrid and their rivals, feels like it will matter in the title race.
Alonso will earn a large chunk of the praise. From the outset he deployed a two-pronged attack with Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, the duo waiting for their moments to run at the empty patch of green that Barcelona’s defence leaves behind with their high line.
Arda Guler lined up alongside Eduardo Camavinga in the centre of the four-man midfield behind them, Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni providing additional support. It was a setup that played to the strengths of Madrid’s most potent weapon: their striker with 16 goals in 13 games so far.
Now witness the firepower of this Death Star. Very early Mbappe pounced on a loose ball toe-poked by Guler and delivered a sublime volleyed finish from outside the box. It was ruled out for offside but the warning had been given.
In the 22nd minute he got another chance; Jude Bellingham played a defence-splitting pass that breached Barcelona’s offside trap and allowed Mbappe to run through on goal. Wojciech Szczesny rushed out but the crisp low shot from the Frenchman to his right beat him into the bottom corner.
Barcelona wanted their trademark control but there was an urgency to the first half, an open, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair that best suited Madrid.
The away side struggled to display their quality in the box but they managed to respond to Madrid’s opener. Lamine Yamal had a go from outside the box. Ferran Torres found space but his low shot was easily saved by Courtois, before Alejandro Balde roamed into the inside left channel, then played Rashford in at the byline. The winger’s cutback was then dispatched clinically into the roof by Fermin Lopez.
Bellingham, the catalyst for Madrid’s first goal, then scored the second. Vinicius had gone on a run on the left and looped a cross to the far post. Eder Militao nodded it back across goal where the Englishman was left all on his own inside the six-yard box to convert.
Madrid enjoyed lots of other good moments in that first period and should perhaps have been up by a lot more. Bellingham didn’t quite get the venom he would have liked from Carreras’ pull-back and Szczesny saved. Then he combined with Mbappe in the six-yard box but the latter had strayed offside before the ball rolled back to him with the goal beckoning.
In the second half Alonso felt it was best to manage the game. After Mbappe saw his penalty brilliantly saved by Szczesny, the home side became more conservative. Barcelona huffed and puffed but their fate was sealed.
