Mbappé misses penalty, Vini shines as Real beats Barça and ends drought

In a duel full of goals and confusion, Real Madrid came out on top and beat Barcelona 2-1 today in the 10th round of the Spanish League at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Mbappé and Bellingham scored for the “merengues,” while Fermín López scored for the “blaugranas.” The match was a battle for the La Liga lead, with Real Madrid now five points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table with 27 points.
The Madrid team ended a four-game drought without defeating their biggest rival, who had triumphed in all four matches last season. The end of the match was marked by a lot of confusion, with players and coaching staff from the teams involved in a disagreement just before the referee blew the final whistle, following Pedri’s second yellow card and subsequent expulsion. The heated altercation continued for a few minutes after the game ended, with Vini Jr needing to be restrained.
Under coach Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid will be back in action next Saturday at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) against Valencia. On Sunday, Barcelona will host Elche at 2:30 p.m. Real had numerous goals disallowed by VAR, causing frustration for Vini Jr. The Brazilian forward left the field visibly annoyed after being substituted for Rodrygo in the second half, choosing not to stay on the bench and heading straight to the locker room. He returned to watch the end of the match and was involved in a new altercation that required intervention.
VAR was pivotal in crucial moments of the game, disallowing three of Real’s goals for offside and helping to award a penalty that Mbappé missed. Between valid and disallowed goals, the match was intense and full of opportunities for both sides. The clash saw six goals, but only three counted. The second goal came when Bellingham received the ball in the middle, dribbled past the defenders, and delivered a beautiful pass to Mbappé. The striker scored to make it 1-0 for Real.
Barcelona fought back, with Fermín López equalizing to make it 1-1. Real took the lead again just before halftime when Vini Jr crossed for Bellingham to score. In a highly eventful game, Vini Jr was involved in multiple incidents, including a clash with Lamine Yamal after the final whistle.