Few fixtures in world sport carry the weight of El Clásico, and the first one of the 2026-27 La Liga season delivered a dramatic finish. Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday, October 25, with Kylian Mbappé scoring both goals, the second of them in the 88th minute.

It was also a night of milestones. The winner was Mbappé’s 100th goal for Real Madrid, and the result handed José Mourinho a triumphant Clásico on his return to the Real Madrid bench. Here is how it unfolded, based on reporting from Real Madrid’s official match report, ESPN and AP.

A cagey start, then a lucky break

Madrid started brightly. Arda Güler had two early chances, one that flashed just wide inside four minutes and another that Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García saved about a quarter of an hour later.

The breakthrough arrived in the 41st minute. After a well-worked move, Yan Diomande sent in a cross, Barcelona defender Gerard Martín tried to clear it, and the ball deflected onto Mbappé, who bundled it in. It was not the prettiest goal of his career, but it counted.

Barcelona almost hit back immediately, with Lamine Yamal missing the target from close range two minutes later. Just before half-time, Diomande went one-on-one with García but could only find the side netting, keeping the score at 1-0.

Raphinha levels, the tension builds

The second half became more heated. Madrid’s camp was furious in the 56th minute when Barcelona’s Cancelo caught Diomande on the back of the thigh, with the visitors calling for a red card.

Five minutes later, Barcelona were level. Raphinha scored in the 61st minute to bring Camp Nou back to life. From there the match swung back and forth: Güler forced another strong save from García with a powerful shot from a tight angle, and at the other end Andriy Lunin made a superb stop to deny Gerard Martín’s header from a corner.

The winner: a team goal for the ages

With two minutes of normal time left, Madrid produced the moment that decided the night. According to the club’s report, Jude Bellingham pulled off a roulette turn and found Güler, who set up Eduardo Camavinga. Camavinga’s clever touch took him past Pau Cubarsí, and he squared for Mbappé to finish.

That goal brought up a century of goals for Mbappé in a Real Madrid shirt, and Mourinho’s side held on through the closing minutes to take all three points.

Why this result matters

  • **Bragging rights and the table.** Clásico wins count for the same three points as any other, but beating your fiercest rival in their own stadium carries extra weight in a title race.
  • **Mourinho’s return.** ESPN described it as a triumphant Clásico return for the Portuguese coach, whose previous spell in charge of Madrid included some of the most combustible Clásicos of the modern era.
  • **Mbappé’s milestone.** Reaching 100 goals for the club in a Clásico, with a late winner, is the kind of moment that defines a player’s legacy at a club like Real Madrid.

For Barcelona, there were positives in the comeback and in García’s goalkeeping, but missed chances, including Yamal’s early miss, will sting.

What comes next

The second Clásico of the La Liga season will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu later in the campaign, and Barcelona will be eager for revenge. For now, though, the night belongs to Madrid, to Mourinho and, above all, to Mbappé.

The bottom line

Sunday’s Clásico had everything: a scrappy opener, a home equaliser, big saves at both ends and a late winner built from some of the best passing of the match. Real Madrid leave Camp Nou with three points, and Kylian Mbappé leaves with a hundred goals for the club and the kind of headline every player dreams about.

Image: Camp Nou – Interior (2005) by Mutari 09:33, 21 September 2007 (UTC) via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain Mark 1.0