In a thrilling El Clasico, Barcelona came back from 0-2 to beat Real Madrid 4-3. This victory helped the Blaugrana take a long way to the La Liga championship.
Kylian Mbappe scored a double in just 14 minutes and helped Real Madrid light up hope. But their joy did not last long, when Eric Garcia's header narrowed the gap, then Lamine Yamal created a masterpiece to bring the match back to the starting line. Raphinha also scored 2 more goals in the first half to help the home team lead 4-2.
Mbappe completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute to create a tense and dramatic match, with a series of opportunities in the final minutes for both sides. Blaugrana were denied a penalty after the ball touched Aurelien Tchouameni's hand in the penalty area.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid's substitute Victor Munoz also missed a penalty. In addition, neither Mbappe nor Fermin Lopez were recognized for their goals in extra time.
The final result of 4-3 helped Barcelona lead the La Liga rankings with 7 points more than Real Madrid with 3 more matches left. If they win the next match, they can take the top spot 2 rounds early.
Barca put aside the disappointment of being eliminated from the Champions League in midweek to defeat Madrid in an unusual way and get closer to the championship. For a team that has shown its mental strength many times this season, it is perhaps not surprising that they overcame the painful defeat against Inter so quickly.
3 points against the "White Vultures" almost guaranteed that Flick's team would end the campaign with a domestic treble. They have previously beaten Los Blancos in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals.
Barcelona also made steps in the Champions League, even when the loss before Inter made them painful, after reaching the semi -finals for the first time since 2019. Not many people can predict such a level of success at the beginning of the season after the campaign did not win the previous title.
This is a year marked by Barca's resilience, with much more confidence thanks to Yamal, who once again played excellently against Real Madrid.
"They can't handle us this season," Yamal said of Real Madrid just two weeks after Barca won the Copa del Rey final. The 17-year-old was right again when Los Blancos collapsed, despite leading by 2 goals under the Catalan sun.
Those were 4 wins in 4 El Clasicos this season for Barca. The third trophy has not been awarded yet, but it is only a matter of time. Few can argue that they do not deserve to be La Liga champions. Except for a series of 4 losses in 7 matches in November and December last year, Blaugrana is the best team in Spain throughout the season.
"We need to celebrate this victory. I feel very happy for the whole team as well as the fans. The atmosphere today was wonderful, and I really appreciate that. We can't say anything yet. We have an advantage, but still need 3 more points.
The goal is to win as soon as possible. Every match ahead will be very difficult, but we have quality in the squad. I believe the whole team can do it" - Flick shared.
