By Robert Lewandowski scored twice and teenager Lamine Yamal made history as Barcelona inflicted a humiliating 4-0 defeat on Real Madrid in El Clasico on Saturday night, opening up a six-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Lewandowski, who has now scored 17 goals in 14 appearances this season, struck twice in quick succession early in the second half to put Barcelona in control. Yamal, aged just 17 years and 106 days, then became the youngest player to score in El Clasico when he added a third, before Raphinha completed the rout with a clever finish.
Real Madrid, who had Kylian Mbappe’s first-half goal disallowed for offside, suffered their first league defeat since September 2023, ending a long unbeaten run.
The first half was evenly contested, with Vinicius Junior and Mbappe threatening for Real Madrid, while Barcelona’s high defensive line caught their opponents offside on eight occasions.
However, Barcelona took control after the break, with Lewandowski making it 1-0 in the 54th minute after latching onto a pass from Marc Casado. Less than two minutes later, the Poland international doubled the lead, heading home Alejandro Balde’s cross.
Yamal then wrote his name into the history books in the 77th minute, collecting Raphinha’s pass before smashing the ball past Andriy Lunin in the Real Madrid goal. Raphinha added further gloss to the scoreline six minutes from time, lifting the ball over the onrushing Lunin.
Lewandowski was named man of the match for his two-goal display, overshadowing the likes of Vinicius, Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham, although Yamal and Raphinha also impressed.
The result puts Barcelona in a commanding position at the top of La Liga, six points clear of their fierce rivals. They will look to extend their winning run to six games in all competitions when they face Espanyol in the Catalan derby next Sunday.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will aim to bounce back from this chastening defeat when they travel to struggling Valencia next Saturday.
The match stats underlined Barcelona’s dominance, with the Catalan side enjoying 58% possession and outshooting their opponents 15-9, with seven of those efforts on target compared to Real Madrid’s four.
The win is a major statement from Barcelona, who have now firmly established themselves as the team to beat in La Liga this season under the guidance of head coach Hansi Flick.
