Barcelona moved clear at the top of LaLiga after securing a dramatic 4-3 win against rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico.
The win stretches the lead over Madrid in second to seven points for Hansi Flick’s side, with three games remaining in the campaign following a seven-goal thriller at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Kylian Mbappe’s double inside the first 15 minutes of the game fired Madrid into a commanding lead but Eric Garcia’s header ignited the comeback for his side.
Lamine Yamal then curled in a stunning equaliser just after the half-hour mark before Raphinha netted a quickfire double of his own, with a glaring miss from close range sandwiched between the goals, to give Barcelona a 4-2 lead at the break.
As well as the six first-half goals, there was a disallowed goal for Mbappe just before the whistle was blown, and another twist looked to be on the way when the Frenchman completed his hat-trick with 20 minutes remaining.
Madrid thought they had found their equaliser in stoppage-time when Aurellian Tchouameni’s header was bundled into the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for Mbappe’s involvement from an offside position.
Fermin Lopez then climbed off the bench to fire home a fifth for the hosts which was also disallowed for handball, but with just seconds on the clock, Barcelona held on to secure all three points and bragging rights as they moved closer to a 28th league title.
Yamal: Important win to move closer to title
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal speaking to LaLiga TV:
“It was an important game. We wanted to bounce back in front of our own fans after the Champions League.
“What a way to celebrate in front of our supporters. We had to correct that and had opportunities to extend our lead.
“It is a special moment. I give my thanks to the supporters.
“We wanted to win this game to move closer to the title.”
Valiant Mbappe effort needed support
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
“A thrilling fixture from start to finish. Real Madrid looked like they might cruise to victory after a blistering start to this fixture, but you can never count this Barcelona side out.
“They only know one pace to play at, and that is full throttle. After being sparked into life by Garcia’s header, the hosts cruised into the lead and should have really walked away with a more comfortable win.
“Mbappe continued to pose a threat on the counter, but he needed support, which never arrived, from his team-mates Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. The duo went missing for the vast majority of this match-up.
“All three points belong to Barcelona. Winning the title seems like a matter of when, not if, now.”
