After Kylian Mbappé put the visitors two goals ahead inside the opening 15 minutes, Barça then scored four goals before the half-time break, as Eric García, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha – twice – all found the back of the net. Although Mbappé completed a hat-trick in the second half, it wasn’t enough for Real Madrid.
This was a game that will live long in the memory, and one from which we can draw many conclusions. Here, then, are five things we learned from this thrilling and significant ELCLASICO.
FC Barcelona can clinch LALIGA EA SPORTS in Matchday 36
Surely the most significant conclusion from ELCLASICO is what it means in the LALIGA EA SPORTS standings.
Hansi Flick’s side are now seven points ahead of Real Madrid with just three matchdays remaining.
Therefore, Barça could mathematically seal the title this coming midweek, when Matchday 36 takes place, either if Real Madrid slip up at home to RCD Mallorca on Wednesday or if FC Barcelona win away at RCD Espanyol on Thursday.
The pendulum of ELCLASICO has swung FC Barcelona’s way
This was the fourth ELCLASICO of the 2024/25 campaign, and Los Azulgranas have won all four of them.
Hansi Flick has a 100 percent record against Real Madrid since arriving in Spain last summer, and the German has clearly wrestled the momentum in this historic rivalry towards the Catalan outfit.
The four wins in a row for FC Barcelona follow four defeats in a row, so it’s a major cause for celebration for Barça fans.
Lamine Yamal’s left-footed curler is almost unstoppable
Although Mbappé grabbed a hat-trick and Raphinha scored twice, many column inches have been written about Lamine Yamal in the hours since the full-time whistle. The 17-year-old once again delivered on the biggest stage, scoring his third ELCLASICO goal of the season to make it 2-2 during the first half on Sunday.
Despite being so young, Lamine Yamal already has a trademark shot: his left-footed curler, struck from the right side of the penalty area into the far corner.
It’s a shot he has scored with time and time again and, when he lined it up in this match, many of the fans inside the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys already knew the ball was on its way to the back of the net.
Mbappé is the new favourite for the Pichichi
Much like the 2022 World Cup final, Mbappé ended up on the losing side, but certainly did his job on an individual level by scoring three times. With his three-goal haul, the Frenchman is now the leader in the LALIGA EA SPORTS goalscoring table.
He has 27 goals, putting him two ahead of FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who has been suffering from injury issues in the last few weeks.
There are three matchdays remaining and Mbappé has opportunities to add to his tally, as he seeks to lift the Pichichi Trophy in his first season in Spain.
Comebacks are a speciality for this Barça squad
This wasn’t the first time this season that FC Barcelona have fought from behind to win a game they were losing. In fact, it has become something of a speciality for them, and they’ve won three of this season’s ELCLASICO duels after trailing at some point in the match.
In LALIGA EA SPORTS, they’ve now won six matches after falling behind, which represents the joint-most come-from-behind victories, alongside Atlético de Madrid.