Barcelona vs Real Madrid score, result, highlights as Jude Bellingham goals decide El Clasico in La Liga

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Joe Wright
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Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid
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Is there a better player in world football right now than Jude Bellingham? For the first hour of Saturday's Clasico, you might have thought so.

Barcelona had everything under control at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. This might only be their temporary home while Camp Nou redevelopment work continues, but there was something very familiar about all this: Barca, in red and blue, La Masia graduates at the heart of the team, a club legend in the dugout, the players effective with the ball and frenetic without it. And winning.

Then, Bellingham happened. Two goals — one a thunderbolt from outside the box, the other a poacher's finish from the middle of it — turned the match on its head and silenced the home supporters. Real Madrid, from nowhere, had won 2-1; Bellingham, forgotten for 60 minutes, had made this all about him.

Ilkay Gundogan had scored after just six minutes, pouncing on some hesitant defending by Madrid, which had been forced by Barca's good pressing. It was his first goal since his double in the FA Cup final for Manchester City last season. The young players at Xavi's disposal could learn a lot from watching Gundogan on occasions like this.

Not that they seemed to need it. With Frenkie de Jong and Pedri still out, and Robert Lewandowski only fit enough for the bench, this was the latest game in which Xavi needed to trust his youngsters to stand up to the challenge of senior first-team football — and this is no ordinary game, of course.

They didn't let him down in that first hour, in which Barca had total control. The lively Fermin Lopez hit the post, and Alejandro Balde shut down Rodrygo completely. Gavi, at the heart of the action, played in the way you would expect of a midfielder with 25 Spain caps and more than 100 Barcelona appearances. The fact he is still only 19 doesn't matter. There are few, if any, better midfielders in the world.

Except that one.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid final score

  Fulltime Goal scorers
FCB 1 Gundogan (6')
RMA 2 Bellingham (69', 90+2')

Starting lineups:

Barcelona (3-4-1-2, right to left): Ter Stegen (GK) — Araujo, Christensen, Martinez — Cancelo (Lamine Yamal 76'), Gundogan, Gavi, Balde — Fermin Lopez (Romeu, 72') — Ferran Torres (Lewandowski, 61'), Joao Felix (Raphinha, 77')

Real Madrid (4-1-2-1-2, right to left): Kepa (GK) — Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy (Camavinga, 52') — Tchouameni — Valverde, Kroos (Modric, 63') — Bellingham — Rodrygo (Joselu, 63') Vinicius

Bellingham, for two thirds of the game, did almost nothing. For the first time in a Madrid shirt, he felt on the fringes of the action, an outsider looking in, a youngster not quite ready for a tempestuous rivalry such as this. In one first-half move, he turned into space in that No. 10 position he enjoys so much and discovered it was swarming with Barca shirts. Early in the second, when it seemed he might have a run on goal, Gavi went with him stride for stride and left him face-down in the grass with a perfect sliding tackle.

A romantic could say Bellingham's quiet performance was deliberate; a ploy to lull Barca and the watching world into a false sense of security. The more boring suggestion is that this was a football match between two good teams, one of which executed a gameplan to stop him. Either way, it seems we all underestimated him again.

Having watched Aurelien Tchouameni test Marc-Andre ter Stegen's reflexes with a long-range shot, Bellingham decided he fancied a go. From a standstill, 25 yards out, he turned and unleashed a rocket: the ball arced and swerved just enough to fly through the Barca defence and evade Ter Stegen's outstretched right hand.

Barca's systematic control had been taken away by impetuous brilliance. Suddenly, the game was nervy: Joselu almost scored, Robert Lewandowski fired just over, Andreas Christensen bailed out Oriol Romeu.

In injury time, it looked like Madrid would settle for a point. In fact, when Tchouameni had the ball in Barca's half, Bellingham told him to pass it backwards as he himself walked away from the goal. Around 10 seconds later, Dani Carvajal's cross from the right was touched on by Joselu, and Bellingham was there, scuffing a finish off his shin and through the legs of Ter Stegen.

Even when it seemed it wasn't his day, Bellingham, who now has 13 goals in 13 games for Real Madrid, made it his day. "F****** get in!" he yelled into the camera after fulltime of, let's remember, his very first experience of El Clasico.

Is there a better player in the world right now? Real Madrid don't think so. And it's hard to argue.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid full commentary, highlights

Fulltime: Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid

It's all over, and Real Madrid have won El Clasico! Jude Bellingham, who did almost nothing for the first hour, leaves the field as the two-goal hero, the player of the match, and still the most impressive footballer in Spain. He screams a celebratory expletive into the camera as Madrid players go to salute their fans. Barca players, staff and supporters look stunned.

90 + 5 mins: Vinicius delays his substitution by applauding and waving to the Barca fans, who are furious. In the end, Ancelotti drags him from the pitch to stop things getting out of hand.

90 + 2 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAALL! JUDE BELLINGHAM HAS WON IT! Madrid seem happy just to keep possession but eventually work it wide to Carvajal. In trying to control the cross, Modric deflects the ball over Martinez and into the path of Bellingham, and he flicks out a leg to shin the finish past Ter Stegen from close range. It was scruffier than his first, but he won't care: Jude Bellingham has won El Clasico for Real Madrid!

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90 + 1 mins: Into four minutes of added time we go...

88th min: JOSELU! That was a chance! Tchouameni snaps into Romeu and Madrid break forward. Vinicius' pass finds the striker, who turns away from Martinez, but the defender recovers just in time to stop him shooting from barely 10 yards out, and Araujo takes the ball away from him. Romeu then plays a poor backpass and Andreas Christensen is required to make a sliding tackle to stop Vinicius running through.

84th min: Camavinga stops a dangerous Lewandowski pass from reaching Raphinha and wins a free-kick from Oriol Romeu. He's played well since coming on. It's getting quite tense here — neither side wants to settle for a draw, but both are afraid of defeat.

79th min: Camavinga makes inroads into the Barca area and collides with Araujo, but referee Jesus Gil Manzano sees no problem with it. I think he's correct, even if Camavinga disagrees. At the other end, Lewandowski whips a shot over the bar from just outside the box.

77th min: Xavi has gone for some attacking changes, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha on for these closing stages. Will we see a winner here?

73rd min: This game has suddenly turned. Madrid had improved in this second half but they weren't really creating any danger. That moment of magic from Bellingham has stunned Barca and their fans, and right now, it's Los Blancos who look the better side.

69th min: GOOOAAAAAAL! Real Madrid equalise through Bellingham! Apparently inspired by Tchouameni, Bellingham picks up a loose ball following a headed clearance and blasts a shot towards goal from a good 25 yards out. It flies, bending, into the top-right corner of the net. Ter Stegen may feel he could have done more having got a hand up to it, but the ball just had too much pace. It's 1-1!

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68th min: Tchouameni CRASHES a shot towards goal from 25 yards out and Ter Stegen makes a good save to his right. Barca were defending deep and the Madrid midfielder decided it was worth a go. It certainly was. This is better from the visitors.

65th min: Cancelo has come to life in this half. He charges towards the box, Camavinga's tackle doesn't quite stop him, and he tries a shot that deflects towards the far post to leave Kepa scrambling. There's been a double change for the visitors, with Luka Modric and Joselu on for Rodrygo and Kroos.

61st min: Madrid captain Carvajal gets a yellow card for grabbing Joao Felix by the collar like a wayward dog trying to chase the neighbour's cat. In the break in play, Barcelona make a well-received substitution: Ferran Torres is off, replaced by fit-again Robert Lewandowski, who hasn't played in La Liga for a month.

59th min: CANCELO! So close. Lopez's throughball sends him through down the right, he cuts inside past the challenge of sub Eduardo Camavinga, but he prods a shot over the crossbar. The assistant referee then raises his flag for offside.

57th min: A good spell of possession ends with a Kroos shot from the edge of the box, but it's a comfortable save for Ter Stegen close to the middle of his goal.

51st min: So nearly 2-0! A header from Martinez rattles the base of the post before Kepa reacts brilliantly to deny Araujo from the rebound. The Madrid keeper might have got a touch on the initial header, too.

Second half: Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid

We're off and running again. No changes for either side.

Halftime: Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid

Gundogan's goal is all that separates the teams on the scoreboard, but Barca have been in control. Clear-cut chances have been few and far between, and Madrid have got to get their attacking players involved if they want to claw this back.

45 + 2 mins: Ferran Torres goes into the book for rugby-tackling Vinicius. And I mean that literally: head bowed, both arms around the forward's waist, he hauled him into touch as Vinicius tried to race down the wing. Had that been in tomorrow's Rugby World Cup final, it would rightly have been lauded as excellent defensive play.

45th min: Gundogan glides through the lines and lays the ball off to Ronald Araujo, whose teasing cross is glanced away by Rudiger. Barca are finishing the half strongly.

42nd min: Plenty of people (me included) felt one of the reasons Joao Felix didn't work out at Atletico Madrid was because his style of football just wasn't suited to a Diego Simeone team. Having just watched him track back to intercept a pass near the centre-circle, then sprint forward to receive a long ball, shrug off two defenders at his back and get in a shot at goal, his travails under Cholo seem harder to understand.

37th min: Lopez spins into space but sends his left-foot shot sailing somewhere towards Montjuic Castle. At the other end, Carvajal comes a little closer, smashing a shot into the side-netting from an improbably angle.

34th min: Gundogan's goal remains the only shot on target of the match so far. Barca have certainly looked the more dangerous, but clear-cut chances have been scarce. Madrid need to up their performance and get Bellingham more involved.

26th min: Bellingham turns and drives towards the Barca box but he's crowed out by red-and-blue shirts. The home side's work off the ball has been excellent so far. At the other end, Joao Felix tries to run through on goal but Dani Carvajal does enough to stop him.

22nd min: Madrid spring a counter down the right to release Vinicius but Inigo Martinez clears after the cross is headed back towards the penalty spot by Jude Bellingham. Antonio Rudiger then tries a wildly optimistic shot from 35 yards out, which doesn't trouble Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

19th min: Lopez has now gone into the book for a late tackle on Toni Kroos. He'll need to watch his step — there's a long way to go.

16th min: Off the post! Again, Barca press Madrid into a mistake on the edge of their own area and the ball breaks kindly to Fermin Lopez, but he strikes the base of the left-hand post from 12 yards.

10th min: Madrid look to respond but they've been second best in these early exchanges. Vinicius and Rodrygo have barely been involved.

6th min: GOOOOAAAAAL! Barcelona lead already! It's an awful goal for Real Madrid to concede: Ilkay Gundogan tries a one-two but the ball deflects off David Alaba and into the away side's box. However, when not one Madrid player reacts quickly enough, Gundogan steals in to slot a neat finish past Kepa!

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2nd min: There are LOUD jeers for Vinicius Junior as he chases a loose ball and then larrups it into the stands. A pre-match feud surrounding a social media post made by a Barcelona executive about the Real Madrid forward has been simmering for some days. You can read about that here.

Kickoff

We're underway in bright Barcelona sunshine!

15 mins to kickoff: This could become the third matchup in La Liga history to pass the 600-goal mark. Will either side manage to break 300 on their own?

30 mins to kickoff: Before the match, Xavi confirmed to local broadcasters that Robert Lewandowski would be able to play in the second half if needed. "We're going to see if we're capable of doing damage to Real Madrid with our own strengths," he said.

Team news

There is indeed a start for Fermin Lopez, while Ilkay Gundogan also gets his first taste of the Clasico, and it looks like Joao Cancelo will start in a front three. Striker Robert Lewandowski has recovered from injury in time to make the subs bench.

Ferland Mendy is back at left-back for Real Madrid, who go with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo as an all-Brazilian front two.

1 hour 15 mins to kickoff: Given their injury problems, there is every chance that Barca field some of their rising stars in what would be their first senior Clasico. One of those is Fermin Lopez, who you can read about right here.

2 hours to kickoff: It's the biggest game in Spain — for many, the biggest club game in the world — and it's back for the first installment of 2023/24: it's Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, live from the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. You'll want to stick with us for this one.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid lineups, team news

Joao Felix is fit to start after being injured in the 2-1 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk, while Joao Cancelo looks to be lining up on the right of a 3-4-1-2 set-up.

Gavi is back after a Champions League suspension and striker Robert Lewandowski is fit enough for a place on the bench.

Barcelona (3-4-1-2, right to left): Ter Stegen (GK) — Araujo, Christensen, Martinez — Cancelo, Gundogan, Gavi, Balde — Fermin Lopez — Ferran Torres, Joao Felix

Subs: Lewandowski, Raphinha, Inaki Pena, Alonso, Romeu, Kounde, Astralaga, Lamine Yamal, Casado, Cubarsi, Guiu, Fort

Ancelotti has no fresh injuries to contend with as Bellingham has shaken off a knock picked up in the 2-1 Champions League win at Sporting Braga.

Ferland Mendy returns at left-back with Aurelien Tchouameni starting in midfield. Nacho Fernandez is available after a ban but is only on the bench.

Real Madrid (4-1-2-1-2, right to left): Kepa (GK) — Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy — Tchouameni — Valverde, Kroos — Bellingham — Rodrygo, Vinicius

Subs: Lunin, Pineiro, Nacho, Modric, Camavinga, Joselu, Vazquez, Garcia, Brahim Diaz

Barcelona vs Real Madrid live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this La Liga match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA — ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
Canada —

TSN+

UK — La Liga TV (delayed), bet365
Australia — Optus Sport
India Sports18 JioTV
Hong Kong Now Sports 2 —
Malaysia beIN Sports beIN Sports Connect, sooka
Singapore beIN Sports beIN Sports Connect, StarHub TV+
New Zealand — —

USA: This game is available via streaming services from ESPN+ with Spanish options on ESPN Deportes.

Canada: This game is available to stream via TSN+.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream this match live and on demand on Optus Sport.

UK: This match can be streamed via bet365 for those with a funded account or who have placed a bet using their account in the past 24 hours. It will also be available on La Liga TV (Viaplay UK) from 5:25 p.m. BST, with the full match replayed.

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA

Author(s)
Joe Wright Photo
Joe Wright

Joe is Senior Editor (Football) at Sporting News.

Football
Primera División
Real Madrid
Barcelona