Barcelona arrived at Sunday’s Clásico one victory away from a piece of Spanish football history. They left it with their first league defeat of the season, beaten 2-1 at Spotify Camp Nou by a Real Madrid side that refused to accept the role of underdog.
Flick’s team had won all nine La Liga games so far, equalling the record start set by Real in 1968-69. Kylian Mbappé made sure there would be no tenth. His opener four minutes before the break owed plenty to luck: Gerard Martín tried to clear a low cross from Yan Diomande and smashed the ball straight into the Frenchman, from where it rebounded into the net.
Barcelona levelled on the hour when Pedri slipped the ball to Raphinha, whose quick shot squeezed past Andriy Lunin. The home side then pushed for the winner, and Lamine Yamal went close, but the decisive moment came from the other end. Jude Bellingham beat his man with a lovely piece of skill near halfway, substitute Eduardo Camavinga raced clear and rolled the ball across, and Mbappé tapped in with three minutes left.
Lunin, deputising for an ill Thibaut Courtois in his first club match of the campaign, was arguably as important as the scorer. Soon after the equaliser he clawed Martín’s powerful header away with one hand, a save that kept Madrid in the game. Real were also without the suspended Vinícius Júnior.
José Mourinho celebrated with a knee slide on the touchline and afterwards praised a match in which, as he put it, both sides went for victory. Flick’s players had already been beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, so this is the second blow in a few days.
The table is tighter as a result. Barcelona still lead on 27 points, but Atlético are two behind and Real three. Mbappé now has 11 league goals this season, two fewer than Raphinha.
