Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points as Blaugrana hand Los Blancos embarrassing loss | La Liga 2024-25

A second-half flurry of goals ensured Barcelona decimated Real Madrid 4-0 in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, October 26. They extended their lead atop the LaLiga table to six points.

Real Madrid were missing the likes of Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo Goes to injury. Andriy Lunin took the Belgian's place between the sticks and the attack was spearheaded by Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe. Barcelona, meanwhile, made a solitary change from their 5-1 win over Sevilla. Fermin Lopez replaced Ansu Fati in attack as Flick's side looked to go six points clear with a win.

A combination of poor finishing and poor positioning dragged Real Madrid down in the first half. They created loads of chances but Mbappe was flagged offside six times. The Frenchman and Vinicius also missed a golden opportunity to take the lead each as the first half ended 0-0.

Barcelona gained some control over the fixture and took the lead in the 54th minute. Marc Casado played Robert Lewandowski in with a splendid through ball and the Polish star provided a calm finish to make it 1-0. He doubled his tally just two minutes later, heading home a perfect cross from Alejandro Balde.

Ancelotti's men pushed ahead to wedge themselves back into the fixture, but their finishing issues continued to plague them. At the other end, it grew from bad to worse as Lamine Yamal made it 3-0 in the 77th minute. The youngster controlled a pass from Raphinha before firing in an effort past Lunin to put the game out of reach for the hosts.

Raphinha later got on the scoresheet himself, beating Lucas Vazquez, and latched onto a long ball before chipping the keeper coolly to complete the rout. The result means Barcelona have now won five straight games in all competitions. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have a lot to figure out, especially defensively.

Here are a few talking points from the game:

Real Madrid vs Barcelona Talking Points

#5. Raphinha continues to shine

The Brazilian winger has silenced his critics and has flourished under the management of Hansi Flick. Held quiet for most of the first half, he provided a goal and an assist, taking his tally to six goals and eight assists in 11 league games this season.

#4. Real Madrid defence in disarray

After a largely untested first half where they controlled most of the fixture, Real Madrid's backline came undone in the second period. A total lack of coordination saw Barcelona's forwards being played onside in key moments, leading to their downfall on the night.

#3. Robert Lewandowski does it again

Lewandowski has begun the season in sensational form for the Catalan giants. Already having bagged 14 goals this season, he is the front-runner for the Pichichi award. His contributions could be vital for La Blaugrana in the title race and in Europe too, having recorded 17 goals and two assists in 14 games across competitions.

#2. Barcelona's win made in La Masia

While his tactical set-up has earned much of the praise, Flick's trust in the youngsters has also been admirable. Six young graduates of the academy - Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, Pedri, Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez, and Yamal - started the fixture. They performed well in a dominant victory.

#1. A day to forget for Kylian Mbappe

It was a shocking performance from Mbappe in the first El Clasico of his career. The Frenchman was at the end of multiple goalscoring opportunities but failed to get on the scoresheet. He was also flagged offside an incredible eight times, indicating a frustrating outing.