Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Spanish La Liga.
Estadio Olimpico de MontjuicAttendance50,112.
Match report as Jude Bellingham scored twice to secure an El Clasico victory for Real Madrid against Barcelona; Ilkay Gundogan gave Barca an early lead; Bellingham's long-ranger stunner levelled the scores before the England international struck in injury time to seal victory
Saturday 28 October 2023 19:52, UK
Jude Bellingham scored twice, including an injury-time winner, as Real Madrid fought back from a goal down to beat Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico.
Barcelona made the perfect start with midfielder Ilkay Gundogan opening the scoring from close range in the sixth minute by taking advantage of a bad defensive mistake by the visitors.
However, Barca, who hit the woodwork twice, were punished for failing to convert their dominance into goals as Bellingham made the most of the two chances he had in the second half.
First he unleashed an unstoppable strike from range into the upper-left corner in the 68th minute and then, in stoppage time, he scored the winner after collecting a Luka Modric pass inside the box.
They were Bellingham's 12th and 13th goals in 13 games in all competitions since he joined Real Madrid this summer, including a Spanish league-leading 10 goals in 11 matches.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said on Bellingham's contribution: "We're all surprised by the amount of goals Jude has scored. He's incredible, extraordinary.
"He seems like a veteran. He has a very good attitude.
"The equaliser changed the entire dynamic. We became stronger and had more energy and Barcelona started to get weaker - they had played better until that moment."
The win sees Real Madrid remain top, level on 28 points with second-placed Girona, with Barcelona in third place, four points back.
Barca took the lead on six minutes when Gundogan combined with fellow former Manchester City player Ferran Torres and calmly fired past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Vinicius Junior spurned a chance to level and Barca almost doubled their advantage when Fermin Lopez struck the post.
Real also hit the woodwork when Dani Carvajal drove against an upright before the break.
Lopez hit the post again early in the second half and Kepa reacted quickly to deny Ronald Araujo on the rebound.
Real began to rally in the latter stages with Aurelien Tchouameni having a powerful drive touched on to the frame of the goal.
Bellingham then took charge of proceedings when he brilliantly curled home a shot from 25 yards.
The game could still have gone either way and Robert Lewandowski had a chance to put Barca back ahead when he fired over 10 minutes from time.
It was Bellingham who was to have the final say, however. The 20-year-old was once again in the right place at the right time as he pounced to clip home after a Carvajal cross that was flicked on by Modric
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti:
"We were too slow in the first half. We were not very aggressive, not very forceful in the duels. At half-time, I told the players that sometimes we lose. But not like this. We had to play with more energy and passion.
"We were way better in the second half, more aggressive. Just better. We didn't want a draw. We wanted to win.
"Luka [Modric] changed the game, absolutely. He kept the ball and controlled everything. He changed the game."
Barcelona midfielder Gavi:
"We deserved to win the game from start to finish.
"It's a shame about those two moments when they scored their two goals. The league season is very long, and we must keep going.
"It's all about fine margins. Their first goal made the difference in the game. We can't afford to be so unfocused in those situations."
Barcelona visit Real Sociedad in LaLiga next Saturday; kick-off 8pm. Meanwhile, Real Madrid host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday at 8pm.
