MADRID: Robert Lewandowski struck twice in two minutes as Barcelona crushed rivals Real Madrid 4-0 on Saturday, inflicting the Spanish champions’ first La Liga defeat in over a year.
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal and Raphinha completed the rout, while Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe had two goals ruled out for offside on a frustrating first Clasico appearance for Los Blancos, who now trail league leaders Barcelona by six points.
France captain Mbappe was consistently outwitted by the visitors’ high defensive line to the chagrin of the exasperated Santiago Bernabeu crowd, whose mood darkened as Barcelona hit four second-half goals.
Barcelona snapped Madrid’s 42-match unbeaten streak in La Liga, one game short of the Catalan giants’ all-time record, adding further shine to their triumph.
“It’s a hard moment, a tough moment when you lose a game, (especially after) so many unbeaten,” admitted Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
His counterpart Hansi Flick has whipped Barcelona into shape in just a matter of months and in ending a run of four Clasico defeats, his young side made a statement victory to show how far they have come.
“The big objectives are (fought) against the best in the world and we’ve shown that we’ve got the ability to beat anyone, that we’ve got the mentality and that we’ve changed,” said Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena.
Ancelotti’s game-plan was clear — defend in numbers and try to spring Mbappe or Vinicius Junior with a long ball into the space behind Barcelona’s defense.
It led to an intense but repetitive first half, with Barcelona’s defense catching Madrid offside on eight occasions.
Mbappe hit the side-netting and lobbed over but was offside on both occasions, while Jude Bellingham forced a superb save from Pena, but it would also have been disallowed for offside.
“We always play with the back four very high, (regarding Mbappe’s goals), it’s always like that because the referees don’t whistle, so it looks dangerous — but it’s not dangerous,” said Flick.
At the other end Yamal sent a soft effort at Andriy Lunin when put through on goal by a superb Lewandowski flick.
Barcelona were not playing with the fluidity they have demonstrated in recent weeks, culminating in the impressive 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Mbappe thought he had broken the deadlock when he got in behind and produced a fine dinked finish over Pena, but yet again the forward was marginally offside and his celebration was cut short.
Despite the feeling they were constantly menacing Barcelona, Madrid only produced one legal shot in the first half, with Vinicius dragging into the side-netting when he tried to catch Pena out at the near post.
Eager for more control, Flick replaced Fermin Lopez with Frenkie de Jong at half-time and Barcelona soon took the lead and never looked back.
Marc Casado slipped Lewandowski through and with Madrid defender Ferland Mendy a step behind his team-mates, the Pole was onside.
The 36-year-old slotted low past Lunin to silence the Bernabeu, and two minutes later he pounced again.
Lewandowski headed home Alejandro Balde’s cross to double Barcelona’s advantage and net his 14th league goal in 11 games, continuing his stunning revival under Flick afer struggling last season.
Mbappe had a second goal ruled out for offside as Madrid struggled to find a way back in and Pena kept out a low stinging effort from the former Paris Saint-Germain forward.
Lewandowski spurned two golden chances to complete his hat-trick, shooting against the post from Raphinha’s lay-off and then blazing over after good work by Yamal.
Spain’s Euro 2024 star Yamal plundered Barcelona’s third by rifling home after the surging Raphinha teed him up, with Flick celebrating jubilantly in the dugout.
Raphinha completed the rout with a lob over Lunin to leave the Bernabeu reeling.
“We played a first half with intensity, we could have scored (but) we lacked some accuracy,” said Ancelotti.
“When they scored they hit two goals that took all of our energy away, we took more risks at the back and they found a lot more chances on the counter attack.
“For 60 minutes we competed very well and we have to forget the last 30.”
Lewandowski double as Barca shred Madrid in La Liga Clasico
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Lewandowski double as Barca shred Madrid in La Liga Clasico
- Barcelona snapped Madrid’s 42-match unbeaten streak in La Liga, one game short of the Catalan giants’ all-time record, adding further shine to their triumph
Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh
- Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties
RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.
Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.
After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.
The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.
That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.
Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.
Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.
Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.
Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.
The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.
Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.
The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.
