Jude Bellingham (C) celebrates after scoring a goal during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain, October 26, 2025. /VCG
Jude Bellingham (C) celebrates after scoring a goal during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain, October 26, 2025. /VCG
Jude Bellingham's goal helped Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 to win a tense Clasico and move five points clear of their bitter rivals at the top of La Liga on Sunday.
Champions Barcelona won all four times the teams were pitted against each other last season but in his first Clasico as Real Madrid coach, Xabi Alonso snapped that run.
Kylian Mbappe, who later missed a penalty, fired Madrid in front and although Fermin Lopez levelled for the visitors at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham netted a second for the hosts before half-time which proved decisive.
Barca playmaker Pedri was sent off in the final stages for a second yellow card as tensions spilled over in the Spanish capital.
Madrid's victory means they have won nine of their opening 10 league games and Alonso's side proved against Barca they can triumph on the big occasion, following their derby humbling by Atletico Madrid in September.
"Against Atletico we didn't play how we wanted and today we had another chance to show what we can do, and we have to continue like this," said Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
Alonso said his team "needed this feeling of being able to win a big game" after last season's struggles against Barca.
The Spaniard's counterpart on the touchline was Hansi Flick's assistant Marcus Sorg, as the German coach was suspended following a red card last weekend as they scraped a victory over relegation-battling Girona.
"The season is long, we have 28 more games and we're not scared about the situation now," said Sorg after the defeat.
Source(s): AFP