Kylian Mbappé picked the biggest stage in Spanish football to reach a major milestone on Sunday, scoring twice — including his 100th goal for Real Madrid — as Los Blancos beat Barcelona 2-1 at Spotify Camp Nou and handed the La Liga leaders their first league defeat of the season.
The French forward broke the deadlock in the 41st minute when a cross struck him after Barcelona defender Gerard Martín tried to clear, and the ball went in. Barcelona pushed hard after the break and were level on 61 minutes through Raphinha, who finished from a well-timed pass by Pedri. But the decisive moment came in the 87th minute, when substitute Eduardo Camavinga got past his marker and cut the ball back for Mbappé to finish from close range.
The winner was Mbappé's 100th goal for Real Madrid across all competitions since joining the club in 2024 — and it came in a Clásico away from home.
"Just a detail"
"I'm very happy. I think everyone knows I like to score goals and help the team that way, but I think today it's just a detail because the most important thing is the team's win," Mbappé told Real Madrid TV after the match.
"Honestly, the real star of the game today is the team, the group, because we knew we had to play a big game, a team game. We know that, in the end, it was a great game, but it still only counts as three points, and we need to pick up a lot of points to win La Liga."
The double, either side of Raphinha's strike for the hosts, brought third-placed Real Madrid within three points of the La Liga leaders and reigning Spanish champions Barcelona.
Barcelona's perfect run is over
Barcelona had won all nine of their league games before this match, but the defeat was their second in a row across all competitions, following a 4-2 Champions League setback against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek. It also ended their league-winning streak at the start of the season and prevented them from becoming the first team to win its opening ten league matches.
For Madrid, the hard-earned win finally broke a three-year spell without an away triumph in the Catalan capital. José Mourinho's Madrid have now won five consecutive matches and appear to be hitting top form.
"(Winning) is a good message today, but we can't think the season is done. Next week, at Racing Santander, we have to put in the same intensity," Mbappé added.
A depleted Madrid side still delivered
Real Madrid arrived missing key players: Thibaut Courtois was out with flu-like symptoms, Vinícius Júnior was serving a four-match suspension, and Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Raúl Asencio were also unavailable. Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin kept Madrid in the game in the second half with a sharp save from Gerard Martín.
With the win, the La Liga table now reads Barcelona on top with 27 points, followed by Atlético Madrid on 25 and Real Madrid on 24 — and the title race is wide open again.
Fuentes: Sportradar, USA Today, AFP vía TBS News, ClutchPoints, LatestLY, LaLiga Update.