Barcelona are about to win LaLiga, and Real Madrid let them after a wild Clásico

BARCELONA -- In a breathless Clásico, Barcelona fought backmost from 0-2 down to bushed Real Madrid 4-3 connected Sunday, taking a elephantine measurement towards winning the LaLiga title.

Kylian Mbappé enactment Madrid up from the punishment spot successful the 5th infinitesimal and doubled the visitors' pb soon afterwards, to springiness Madrid anticipation of blowing the rubric contention wide unfastened astatine Montjuïc. But their joyousness was short-lived, arsenic Eric García's header reduced the deficit, Lamine Yamal's curling changeable made it 2-2, and Raphinha scored doubly to spot Barça spell successful 4-2 up astatine halftime.

Mbappé completed his chapeau instrumentality successful the 70th infinitesimal -- played successful by Vinícius Júnior -- to acceptable up a tense and melodramatic finale, with precocious chances for some sides. Barça had a punishment entreaty for an Aurélien Tchouaméni handball waved away, Madrid substitute Víctor Muñoz changeable wide erstwhile done connected goal, and Mbappé and Fermín López some had added-time goals disallowed.

The effect leaves Barcelona 7 points wide astatine the apical of the LaLiga array with 3 games remaining, meaning they could clinch the rubric aboriginal this week. -- Alex Kirkland

Barcelona connected brink of LaLiga rubric

Barça brushed speech the disappointment of their Champions League exit successful midweek to bushed Madrid successful bonzer manner and determination wrong 2 points of the title. For a squad that has repeatedly shown its intelligence spot this season, coming from down clip and again, possibly it was nary astonishment that they were capable to determination connected from that harrowing decision to Internazionale truthful quickly.

It beauteous overmuch guarantees that Hansi Flick's broadside volition present extremity the run with a cleanable expanse of home trophies, having already beaten Madrid successful the Spanish Supercopa and Copa del Rey finals. A triumph astatine section rivals Espanyol connected Thursday volition present beryllium capable to clinch LaLiga -- if Madrid don't driblet points to Mallorca connected Wednesday -- oregon with immoderate operation of 2 points from their last 3 games.

Progress has besides been made successful the Champions League, adjacent if the Inter nonaccomplishment stings, aft reaching a archetypal semifinal since 2019. Not galore radical would person predicted that level occurrence astatine the commencement of the play aft a trophy-less run past clip out.

It's a twelvemonth which has been marked by the team's resilience -- with much than a dash of assurance injected by the likes of Yamal, who was erstwhile again sensational against Madrid.

"They can't grip america this season," the teen said of Madrid conscionable 2 weeks agone aft Barça won the Copa final. He was close again present arsenic Madrid crumbled aft taking a 2 extremity pb successful the Catalan sunshine.

That's 4 wins from 4 Clásicos this play present for Barça. A 3rd trophy has not yet been sealed, but it's conscionable a substance of clip now. Few volition reason they marque worthy champions. Aside from a tally of 4 losses successful 7 games successful November and December, they person been the champion squad successful Spain passim the people of the season. -- Sam Marsden

Real Madrid's defence exposed yet again by superior Barça

First, the excuses: it's worthy remembering that Real Madrid went into this crippled without their full first-choice backmost 4 of Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy. In their places, determination were 2 full-backs -- Lucas Vázquez and Fran García -- who person been repeatedly exposed this season, either broadside of a midfielder, Tchouameni, and a young prospect, Raúl Asencio.

But adjacent so, the mode that Barcelona tore Madrid isolated successful the second stages of the archetypal half, looking capable to people astir astatine will, was a show to behold.

If determination was a azygous infinitesimal that summed up that antiaircraft frailty, it was Vázquez meekly gifting the shot to Raphinha successful the 45th minute. The Brazilian -- arsenic ruthless arsenic immoderate subordinate successful LaLiga this play -- didn't hesitate, exchanging passes with Ferran Torres earlier making it 4-2.

play

1:43

Barca instrumentality pb with 2 goals successful little than 2 minutes

Lamine Yamal curls successful an equalizer for Barcelona, past Raphinha scores a extremity of his ain to crook a shortage into a lead.

Vázquez's hands instantly went to his head. As an experienced player, helium knew that aft a imagination start, the crippled was adjacent to being lost, and with it, the league title.

For Madrid, determination was an atrocious consciousness of deja vu here: this wasn't the archetypal clip Barcelona person effortlessly carved them unfastened to people 4 goals successful speedy succession this season. In fact, it's happened 3 times successful 4 Clásicos this season.

Barça did it successful the 2nd fractional astatine the Santiago Bernabéu successful October, scoring 4 goals successful fractional an hour. They did it again successful the archetypal fractional of the Supercopa last successful Jeddah, with 4 goals successful 33 minutes. And they did it present astatine Montjuïc, with 4 goals successful 26 minutes.

These spells should beryllium epochal, iconic. The information that it's happened 3 times conscionable this season tells you everything you request to cognize astir this Barcelona team's attacking prowess, and Madrid's alarming antiaircraft weakness. -- Kirkland

Don't interest astir Barça's precocious line, conscionable bask them

Just beryllium backmost and bask this Barça side. Too often this play the investigation has focused connected their precocious line. How galore times person we heard 'They volition travel unstuck erstwhile it truly matters' oregon immoderate saltation of that sentiment?

Well, present we are successful May, and Barça are acceptable to unafraid a home treble and person improved successful Europe.

Besides, Flick doesn't care. He knows his Barça broadside volition concede goals with the mode they play. They instrumentality risks and they volition get caught retired astatine times, but the positives person outweighed the negatives this season.

They person been progressive successful 4 crippled of the play contenders successful the past fortnight alone: the Copa last against Madrid, some legs against Inter and this humdinger of a Clásico connected Sunday which ne'er relented from the infinitesimal Mbappé opened the scoring until López's precocious effort was ruled retired successful stoppage time.

play

0:36

Kylian Mbappé completes his chapeau instrumentality to springiness Real Madrid life

Vini Jr. tees up Kylian Mbappé arsenic Real Madrid chopped Barcelona's pb to 4-3.

Barça person travel from 2 goals down repeatedly: against Benfica successful the Champions League, against Atlético Madrid twice, against Inter doubly (before yet losing), adjacent against Celta Vigo 2 weeks agone successful LaLiga and present against Madrid. That is, successful part, due to the fact that of their precocious enactment and due to the fact that of their precocious press. There person not been galore much amusive sides to ticker successful Europe this millennium.

In Yamal they person a subordinate who you can't instrumentality your eyes off. If he's not the champion subordinate successful the satellite yet, he's surely the champion to watch. His extremity against Madrid was sublime. He would person had a hat-trick of assists, too, if not for immoderate wasteful finishing from Raphinha, who inactive managed to people 2 much goals to instrumentality his tally for the run to 34 successful each competitions.

Of people determination are flaws. Even here, it was wide they had not learned their acquisition against Inter. Muñoz blazed implicit and Wojciech Szczęsny saved from Mbappé, who besides had a extremity ruled retired for offside. There person besides been excessively galore idiosyncratic errors successful caller weeks, but that's for Flick to enactment connected implicit the summer. If helium tin close that broadside of his team's game, without losing their attacking edge, they volition beryllium adjacent stronger adjacent season. -- Marsden

More goals for Mbappé, but nary large trophies to amusement for it

"They're numbers. The astir important happening is winning trophies. Scoring goals is important, but if we don't triumph trophies, it isn't worthy it."

That was Kylian Mbappé, speaking successful March. And present we are 2 months later, and Real Madrid are retired of the Champions League, beaten Copa del Rey finalists, and -- astir surely -- retired of the LaLiga rubric race, aft this chaotic day astatine Montjuïc near Madrid 7 points down Barcelona with 3 games left.

Mbappé has present scored 39 goals successful each competitions this season. It's an impressive, nine record-breaking total, astir beyond reproach. But -- unless you number immoderate Madrid bash successful the Club World Cup this summertime -- he's going to extremity 2024-25 without a large trophy.

He scored erstwhile the squad won the UEFA Super Cup, scored again erstwhile they won the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and scored successful last defeats successful the Supercopa and Copa del Rey. In the Champions League, the item was a chapeau instrumentality successful Madrid's playoff with Manchester City. And successful what was efficaciously a LaLiga 'final' here, helium scored a chapeau instrumentality again, and could person added a 4th successful added clip to alteration the outcome, lone to beryllium denied by the offside flag.

Mbappé's numbers are good, and his show successful this last Clásico of the play was excellent, his question and objective finishing punishing Barcelona's infamous precocious antiaircraft line. But by Mbappé's ain admission, that isn't enough.

He spent excessively agelong astatine Paris Saint-Germain scoring plentifulness of goals without winning the Champions League that his talent, and presumption arsenic a player, demands. He came to Madrid to alteration that. And truthful his season, careless of those 39+ goals, volition beryllium wide viewed arsenic a disappointment, possibly adjacent by himself. -- Kirkland