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By ROBERT SUMMERSCALES and AADAM PATEL AT LLUIS COMPANYS OLYMPIC STADIUM Published: 23: 01 AEST, 11 May 2025 | Updated: 02: 56 AEST, 12 May 2025 22 View comments Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Barcelona welcome Real Madrid to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for El Clasico in La Liga. The title race is officially only a two-horse race now. While it would take a nasty fall for the leading horse not to win it, Real Madrid could still finish anywhere from first to third. Here's how the top of the table looks with three rounds of fixtures to go: 1. Barcelona – 82 points Played: 35 | Won: 26 | Drawn: 4 | Lost: 5 | Goals For: 95 | Goals Against: 36 | Goal Difference: +59 2. Real Madrid – 75 points Played: 35 | Won: 23 | Drawn: 6 | Lost: 6 | Goals For: 72 | Goals Against: 37 | Goal Difference: +35 3. Atletico Madrid – 70 points Played: 35 | Won: 20 | Drawn: 10 | Lost: 5 | Goals For: 60 | Goals Against: 27 | Goal Difference: +33 No wonder El Clasico is such a hit with fans in the United States. Americans famously hate ties, and it seems Barcelona and Real Madrid do too. Tonight's result means the two rivals have now gone 18 consecutive Clasicos without a single draw. That run includes 10 wins for Madrid and eight for Barca, making it the longest stretch without a stalemate in the fixture's history. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium Kylian Mbappe entered El Clasico's history books this afternoon by scoring a hat-trick, becoming the first Real Madrid player to do so since Ivan Zamorano in 1995. He becomes just the third player this century to net a treble in a La Liga Clasico, following Barcelona legends Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Mbappe's three goals take him to 39 for the season in all competitions, and move him two ahead of Robert Lewandowski in the race for La Liga's Golden Boot. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium The match stats suggest Barcelona were good value for today's win. They saw 62. 4 per cent of the possession, attempted 23 shots to Madrid’s nine, and had nine efforts on target compared to five from the visitors. Barca also earned 10 corners, while Madrid managed just two. It was a combative contest with 32 fouls shared almost evenly between the sides, and a total of seven yellow cards shown. Thibaut Courtois was kept busy with five saves, while Wojciech Szczesny made just two. Possession Barcelona: 62. 4% Real Madrid: 37. 6% Shots on goal Barcelona: 9 Real Madrid: 5 Total shot attempts Barcelona: 23 Real Madrid: 9 Fouls committed Barcelona: 17 Real Madrid: 15 Yellow cards Barcelona: 4 Real Madrid: 3 Red cards Both teams: 0 Corner kicks Barcelona: 10 Real Madrid: 2 Saves Wojciech Szczesny: 2 Thibaut Courtois: 5 By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium At the start of this season, the Barcelona hierarchy had marked this fixture for a grand homecoming to the Nou Camp after almost two years of renovations. As it is, the upgraded Nou Camp - with a 105, 000 capacity that will make it the largest stadium in Europe - isn't complete yet but when Hansi Flick's side do eventually make the move next season, they will have little problem selling that out if they carry on like this. With 167 goals this season, comfortably more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues, they are undoubtedly one of the hottest tickets on the continent. Barcelona collaborated with Travis Scott and Spotify to create a special kit for this game but frankly, this is a side whose football delivers more than enough entertainment. Click below to read match report in full. Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal speaking on the pitch: A historic night for Hansi Flick. The Barcelona boss has become only the second manager in club history to win his first four Clasicos, matching the record set by Pep Guardiola. Flick's side have scored 16 goals across those four wins, a remarkable return that has powered them to the brink of the La Liga title And as a footnote to history, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal is now the youngest player ever to win four Clasicos in a row. Full-time in El Clasico and it could hardly feel bigger for Barcelona. A thrilling 4-3 victory puts them seven points clear of Real Madrid with just three games to go. The final whistle sparks wild celebrations in Montjuic, where the home crowd know they are now just one win away from the title. Barca can seal the deal on Thursday when they face city rivals Espanyol away from home. No goal. A real shame for birthday boy Fermin. Replays showed that the ball hit his hand before his rocket hit the net. It is still *only* 4-3. Golazo! What a way to seal El Clasico and likely the title. Fermin Lopez wins the ball high up the pitch and unleashes a thunderous strike that flies past Courtois. A stunning finish to cap a statement performance. Six minutes of added time have been signalled and Madrid almost score in the very first. Mbappe bursts through on goal as Barcelona’s backline waits for an offside flag that doesn't come. The Frenchman is denied by the keeper. From the resulting corner, Mbappe does find the net, but this time the flag goes up. Offside. Barca are wobbling late on for the second time this week. What a moment that could have been for Victor Munoz. The substitute races through on goal with a golden chance to level it up, but sends his shot wide when it looked easier to score. Madrid should be level. Real Madrid make another change as Vinicius Junior, who had been signalling to the bench moments earlier, makes way for Victor Munoz. Barcelona respond with a substitution of their own as Gavi replaces Ferran Torres. Vinicius was not moving well as he limped off. Pedri goes into the book for dragging back Brahim Diaz as Madrid tried to break forward. At the same time, Vinicius Junior looks to be signalling to the bench. Moments earlier he saw a weak shot comfortably saved, and now he appears to be asking to come off. Real Madrid turn to their bench in search of a spark. Endrick is introduced, replacing Lucas Vazquez as Carlo Ancelotti looks to inject fresh energy into the attack. Ferran Torres hammers a shot goalwards and it strikes the arm of Tchouameni from close range. Barca demand a spot-kick. The VAR urges the referee, who said no originally, to review a replay of the incident. Ref Alejandro Jose Hernandez responds to that instruction by coming over to the screen. .. and standing by his original call. NO PENALTY. Barcelona look like the best team in the world to the naked eye. But that was also true on Tuesday, when they lost to an Inter Milan side that appeared second-best for long spells. Their ability to dominate without putting games completely out of reach might be something Hansi Flick will want to address. Saying that, neutrals won't want Flick to change a thing! Another double substitution for Barcelona. Hector Fort and Fermin Lopez come on to replace Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo. Fresh legs as the hosts look to see this one out. Barcelona are sticking to their attacking approach despite Madrid pulling it back to 4-3. Since Mbappe completed his hat-trick, the hosts have twice come close to restoring their two-goal cushion. First, Lamine Yamal forced a sharp low save from Thibaut Courtois. Then Raphinha missed a sitter that would have seen him join Mbappe in the hat-trick club. A Clasico hat-trick for Kylian Mbappe! He famously got a hat-trick in a World Cup final only to end up on the losing side. Will this one be in a losing cause too? His third goal of the game was a tap-in put on a plate by Vinicius Junior. A quick reminder that if the scoreline stays as it is then Barcelona will go seven points clear at the top of La Liga with only three games remaining. This would be a crucial win for the hosts. They have certainly played like champions so far today. Lamine Yamal looks to pick out Raphinha at the far post, but the ball has too much on it and drifts out of play. Those two have combined well all season and it nearly came off again. At the other end, Jude Bellingham, who has had a quiet afternoon so far, tries to find Vinicius Junior with a clipped pass, but Wojciech Szczesny reads it well and gathers. Double change for Barcelona. Alejandro Balde is on for Gerard Martin, while Andreas Christensen replaces the injured Pau Cubarsi. That second switch looks to be enforced. Cubarsi appeared to be struggling. Kylian Mbappe is looking sharp today. He has again come close to completing his hat-trick. This time he runs at the Barca backline down the left flank, before cutting inside a firing a show marginally wide. The yellow cards are really starting to tally up. Inigo Martinez has his name added to the naughty list for a foul on Jude Bellingham. This time it is Madrid who get caught out by their high line as Raphinha speeds away down the left before squaring for Yamal to tap home. But the offside flag is up. Raphinha was just offside. So it is still 4-2. No more goals yet but the second half has started where the first let off. Vinicius Junior has already got in behind Barca's high line, but he was let down by a heavy first touch. At the other end, Lamine Yamal has threatened to add his his tally, only to be denied by a fine defensive block. Meanwhile, Raul Asencio has just become the third Madrid player to earn a yellow card, after chopping down Ferran Torres. Today's attendance has been confirmed as 50, 316. Those lucky enough to be in that number have been treated to an absolute classic so far. The second half is underway. No subs were made during the break, so let's hope the 22 men on the pitch deliver more of the same! Even with his team trailing at half-time, Kylian Mbappe has etched his name into the Real Madrid record books. The French forward has now netted 38 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions this season. That is the most ever by a player in their debut campaign for the club, surpassing Ivan Zamorano's 37-goal tally from the 1992-93 season. Barcelona have enjoyed the majority of the ball with 62. 8 per cent possession compared to 37. 2 per cent for Real Madrid. The hosts have been far more threatening, recording 11 shots and seven on target. Madrid have only managed two attempts, both of which hit the net. Barca have also won eight corners, while Madrid are yet to win one. Thibaut Courtois has made three saves to Szczesny's none. Barca have committed eight fouls to Madrid's seven, while the visitors have collected two yellow cards on the field. The referee also showed one yellow card to someone on the Barca bench. We think it was Ronald Araujo. Possession Barcelona: 62. 8% Real Madrid: 37. 2% Shots on goal Barcelona: 7 Real Madrid: 2 Total shot attempts Barcelona: 11 Real Madrid: 2 Fouls committed Barcelona: 8 Real Madrid: 7 Yellow cards Barcelona: 1 Real Madrid: 2 Corner kicks Barcelona: 8 Real Madrid: 0 Saves Thibaut Courtois: 3 Wojciech Szczesny: 0 What a response from Barcelona. Not just to Tuesday's Champions League heartbreak against Inter Milan, but to falling 2-0 behind here against the run of play. The title looks to be heading their way… but you get the feeling this Clasico still has more twists to come. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium Such a shame. I really did not want half-time to come. What a joyous 45 minutes of football that was. Kylian Mbappe has the ball in the Barca net for the third time today. However, he is not celebrating a Clasico hat-trick because he was just offside. That Barca defensive line is living dangerously as always. Six minutes added at the end of a breathless first half. Federico Valverde goes down clutching his right knee and looks to be in real discomfort. He eventually gets back on his feet and is able to continue. Moments later, Raphinha hits the deck after a clash with Lucas Vázquez. A messy finish to a chaotic and captivating 45 minutes. A chaotic half takes another twist. What a turnaround and what a blow for Real Madrid! Just moments after VAR overturned the penalty decision that could have seen them draw level at 3-3, Barcelona go up the other end and make it 4-2. Lucas Vazquez is caught napping, Ferran Torres steals in, and lays it off for Raphinha to calmly slot past Courtois. A deserved cushion for Barca in this breathless first half. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium VAR has intervened. Real Madrid do NOT have a second penalty kick. The decision has seemingly been overruled for an offside against Bellingham in the build-up. However, it could equally have been overturned for what looked like a dive by Mbappe. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium This is ridiculous. Yamal plays one of those outrageous Trivela passes but Raphinha can't keep his effort on target. Less than a minute later, Madrid have another penalty as Mbappe is brought down by De Jong. Tchouameni's yellow card was his fifth of the season. He will therefore be suspended for Madrid's next game. But that won't matter unless they get back into this one. Tchouameni goes into the book after dragging down Ferran Torres, who looked to be breaking clear. Barcelona fans aren't happy, They were calling for more than just a yellow. The free-kick drops to Cubarsi in the area, but he lashes his effort over the bar. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium This is special football from Barcelona and just like Tuesday night in Milan, they've turned around a two-goal deficit in a matter of minutes. A mix-up between Lucas Vazquez and Kylian Mbappe gifts Barça the ball and they break. Raphinha races away before slotting past Thibaut Courtois. 3-2! He wasn't quiet for long! All square again. It's a brilliant finish that brings Barca level. After a subdued opening half hour, Lamine Yamal springs to life, collecting a pass from Ferran Torres, cutting inside and curling a superb shot into the bottom corner. Speak of the devil! Yamal embarks on his first mazy run of the match and his taken out by a poor challenge from Federico Valverde, who is shown a yellow card. Barcelona win a free-kick and Raphinha curls it towards the back post, aiming for Inigo Martinez, but it’s deflected behind for a corner. Raphinha's delivery from the set-piece is overhit and sails past everyone. Despite Barca’s early pressure, Lamine Yamal has had a quiet start. Mbappe's two early goals saw him overtake Robert Lewandowski in La Liga'a race for the Golden Boot. A reminder that Lewandowski is on the Barca bench. Barcelona are threatening with every attack and Madrid are scrambling to stay level. The away side have barely had a moment to regroup since Mbappe struck their second. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium Three goals in the first 20 minutes and I reckon there's plenty more to come. Eric Garcia heads the hosts back into contention. That's Barca's eighth goal from a corner this season. Game on! What a game this is already. Hansi Flick is not enjoying it though. The Barca boss is fuming on the touchline. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium The Barcelona players are furious and want a free-kick for an apparent foul on Lamine Yamal but this is the Kylian Mbappe show. That's now 10 goals in eight career appearances for him against Barcelona. The man for the big occasion. The goal will stand. Barca have been on top so far in terms of territory but Madrid have punished their high line, just as Inter Milan did. More Barca pressure. A low cross narrowly evades Dani Olmo in the six-yard box, but had he scored then the goal would have been ruled out for offside. Barca have responded reasonably well to their early setback. Eric Garcia has just overlapped down the right and forced a smart save out of Courtois. You sense that there could be many more goals to come today. .. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium Pau Cubarsi won't want to watch one back. It was his backpass which led the penalty. Kylian Mbappe was as cool as ice from the spot. The penalty was the subject of a VAR review. Not to see if it was a foul because that was nailed on, but to check for an offside. It was NOT offside. Mbappe stepped up and fired past Szczesny, who dived the right way. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium Hello hello! It's a silly foul from Wojcech Szczesny on Kylian Mabppe and Real Madrid have a huge chance early on to silence the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. The fourth meeting of the season between Barcelona and Real Madrid is up and running. There's more than just pride at stake today. Strap in. This could be special. Captains Frenkie de Jong and Lucas Vazquez emerge from the tunnel followed by their team-mates as a roar from the stands shakes Montjuic. It's a full house for the fourth and final Clasico of the season – and one with the title on the line. Madrid triumphed at this ground last season and will need something similar today if they’re to keep their championship hopes alive. Kick-off is less than 10 minutes away. The pitch is being watered, presumably to help Barca's slick passing game. Both sets of players looked very serious during their pre-match warm-ups. Kylian Mbappe and Wojciech Szczesny appeared particularly focussed. However, Lamine Yamal cut a relaxed figure and his warm-up routine included briefly balancing on the ball with both feet. Both sides come into today's Clasico having won four of their last five league matches. Barcelona's last five La Liga results: Real Madrid's last five La Liga results: Today is expected to be the last Clasico at Barcelona's temporary home. The Camp Nou is said to be on track to reopen next season after its lengthy renovation. Therefore, this should be Barca's penultimate home game at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium. Fans will be hoping to end their stay on a high. By Aadam Patel At Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish newspaper, has described this as the 'Mega Clasico' with both Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal on the front page. Mega is what it is, with the La Liga title effectively on the line. I watched the players come in and there was a laser like focus across both squads. Barcelona were first with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha last off the bus and with their headphones in before the Madrid players arrived. This is a must-win for Carlo Ancelotti's side. Lose and the league trophy will in all likelihood be heading back to Barcelona. For Barcelona, even a draw will do. But you can guarantee that this youthful side that has entertained so many this season with 91 goals in La Liga alone, won't be playing for a draw. By Robert Summerscales It's not just the La Liga title race that could be affected by this result. Today's game could have a big impact on La Liga's Golden Boot race too. Barca's Robert Lewandowski currently leads the Pichichi race with 25 goals, but Kylian Mbappe is just one behind on 24. The Polish striker, who is on the bench today, has scored 11 times in 17 games against Real Madrid. Mbappe? 36 goals in his first season at the Bernabeu. By Robert Summerscales 'We want to be active, intense, dominant as normal, ' said Hansi Flick yesterday. 'Everyone knows that in a Clasico you have to be at your highest level. ' He also confirmed the squad had open conversations after their Inter Milan heartbreak. By Robert Summerscales Barca boss Hansi Flick has won all three Clasicos so far this season. If he wins today, he'll become only the second manager ever to win his first four. That would see him follow in the footsteps of a certain Pep Guardiola. By Robert Summerscales Real Madrid are without six defensive options today. Rudiger, Alaba, Carvajal, Militao, Mendy, and Camavinga are all unavailable. Ancelotti has a huge job on his hands trying to patch that backline together. Opponents Barcelona have scored 16 goals in their last six games By Robert Summerscales Across two spells at Real Madrid, Ancelotti has: Whether this Clasico is a swan song or not, his legacy is assured. By Robert Summerscales With Madrid out of the Champions League and having lost the Copa del Rey final to Barca, La Liga is Ancelotti's final shot at silverware. Lose today, and it's more than likely his second stint ends without a domestic trophy this season. By Robert Summerscales Carlo Ancelotti has faced Barcelona 25 times as a manager – and lost 12 of them. It's more defeats than he's suffered against any other club in his career. But a win today would keep his title hopes alive and put him on 11 Clasico wins. By Robert Summerscales If you're wondering why Barca are wearing special shirts today - blame Travis Scott. The rapper's Cactus Jack brand features on the front in another Spotify collaboration. The Camp Nou may be closed, but the marketing machine never sleeps. By Robert Summerscales Barcelona XI: Szczesny, Martin, Cubarsi, Martinez, Garcia, De Jong, Pedri, Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Torres. Subs: Ter Stegen, Balde, Araujo, Gavi, Lewandowski, Fati, Pena, Christensen, Fermin, Casado, Pau Victor, Fort. Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Vazquez, Tchouameni, Asencio, Garcia, Valverde, Ceballos, Arda Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe. Subs: Lunin, Mestre, Modric, Rodrygo, Endrick, Vallejo, Brahim, Youssef, Jacobo, Munoz. By Robert Summerscales The man most likely to replace Ancelotti? Xabi Alonso. Ancelotti has called the Bayer Leverkusen boss 'one of the best coaches in the world' and says 'all the doors are open' for his former midfielder to return to Madrid. Alonso confirmed on Friday that this season will be his last in Leverkusen. By Robert Summerscales Today's Clasico could be Carlo Ancelotti's final one in charge of Real Madrid. The 65-year-old is widely expected to step down at the end of the season, and this is the first of his final four matches. His legacy? 15 trophies and counting. By Robert Summerscales Barcelona are four points clear at the top with four games to play. A win today and they'll be able to lose two of their final three and still be champions. But a Real Madrid win and the gap is just one point. It's all on the line. By Robert Summerscales Hello and welcome to Mail Sport's live coverage of El Clasico. Barcelona vs Real Madrid from the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys is kicking off at 3. 15pm (UK time). We'll be building up to what could be a title-defining clash in La Liga. Stay with us for team news, updates, and all the drama. More diving, Mbappé.
Right call, finally.
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