Barcelona edged closer to the La Liga title with a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory over Real Madrid at the Estadi Olímpic on Sunday.
Real Madrid raced into a 2-0 lead within 14 minutes thanks to a quickfire brace from Kylian Mbappe — the first from the penalty spot and the second after a well-timed run behind Barca’s high line.
But Barca responded with a stunning first-half turnaround. Eric Garcia pulled one back with a header in the 19th minute before Lamine Yamal curled in a brilliant equalizer. Raphinha then scored twice — capitalizing on defensive confusion and finishing with precision to make it 4-2 at halftime.
Mbappe completed his hat-trick with 20 minutes left, taking his tally to 39 goals in all competitions — the highest ever by a Real Madrid player in their debut season. Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez thought he had sealed it late on, but his goal was ruled out for handball after VAR review.
Despite the tense finish, Barcelona held on for all three points and now lead the table by seven, with just three games remaining. The win puts Hansi Flick’s side firmly in control of the title race.