The result at Camp Nou
Real Madrid won 2-1 at Barcelona, and [1] reports that Kylian Mbappé scored twice and that the result moved Madrid within three points of the La Liga leaders. [2] adds that the winner arrived in the 87th minute, after Gerard Martín deflected an opener in off Mbappé and Raphinha had equalised for Barcelona. It was Madrid’s first win at Barcelona in three years, and it ended the home side’s run of nine straight wins.
The first goal came from a long passing move. [3] describes a 19-pass, 47-second build-up involving all eleven players, starting in Madrid’s own area, before Mbappé scored from a rebound after a poor Martín clearance. Madrid led 1-0 at the break. Barcelona levelled in the 61st minute, but Madrid held their shape and found the winner late. [4] notes Mbappé was closing in on 100 Madrid goals before the second strike.
How Mourinho’s plan worked
Marca’s [5] says Madrid defended deep in a 4-2-3-1 block and hit on the counter. Barcelona had more possession and shots but few clear chances. Aurélien Tchouaméni won 11 ball recoveries and completed 95.7% of his passes. Mourinho picked Bernardo Silva in midfield, in his first league game in six weeks, to help break Barcelona’s pressing, according to [6]. Arda Güler also started, as [7] confirms.
The individual duel that drew most comment was Marc Cucurella against Lamine Yamal. [8] reports Cucurella completed 37 of 40 passes with five clearances and six recoveries, while Yamal managed four completed dribbles from nine attempts and no shots on target. Not everything was clean: one commentator argued the final pass was weak and that Bellingham and Mbappé missed chances they should have taken. Madrid won because of the block and the break, not because of dominance in the final third.
Team news before Santander
The absences shaped the match. Thibaut Courtois missed it with flu, so Andriy Lunin started and, per [9], picked up his fourth win in five Clásicos. The same piece expects Courtois, once recovered, to return for the next match, with Lunin back on the bench. That is an expectation, not a confirmed line-up. Vinicius Junior also missed the game, serving a four-match suspension for the red card against Villarreal and a hair-pull on Saliba, according to [10].
The main fitness doubt is Federico Valverde. Marca reports he [11] with muscle discomfort after playing more than 40 minutes injured, and that he was due to be examined at Valdebebas the next day. Valverde called the substitution precautionary, and Mourinho has settled on him as a right-back rather than a midfielder, so any absence would force a rethink on that side. Yan Diomandé was also singled out for a strong display in attack and defence.
What it means
Madrid are third in La Liga on 24 points from 10 games, with eight wins, no draws and two defeats, and a goal record of 25 scored and 10 conceded. Barcelona started the day on 27, so the gap is three points. The form is strong: five wins in a row across all competitions, namely Villarreal 1-0, Roma 4-3, Sevilla 4-1, Leipzig 4-1 and Barcelona 2-1. That is 15 goals scored and six conceded in those five games, so the defensive block at Camp Nou was a change of method as much as a continuation of form.
The next fixture is Santander v Real Madrid on 1 November, another away game, which Mbappé has said calls for the same intensity. It asks a different question from the Clásico. Against a side likely to sit deeper, Madrid will have to create without the counter-attacking space Barcelona’s high line gave them. The answer depends on Valverde’s tests, Courtois’s return and the absence of Vinicius. The site’s forecast for that match locks 24 hours before kick-off, so no prediction is published yet.
Sources
- BBC Sport: Mourinho keeps Clasico midas touch 13 years on as La Liga heats up bbc.co.uk ↩
- Sky Sports: Mbappe's late strike earns Mourinho and Real Clasico glory at Barca skysports.com ↩
- Marca: El Madrid baila al Barça en el gol de Mbappé marca.com ↩
- Marca: Mbappé abre la lata en el Clásico y roza los 100 goles con el Madrid marca.com ↩
- Marca: El Real Madrid desarmó al Barcelona sin necesitar el balón marca.com ↩
- Marca: Álvaro Benito subraya la realidad de "perogrullo" y la "lección" que han sacado Mou y el Madrid del Clásico marca.com ↩
- The Guardian: Mourinho’s plan comes together as Real Madrid relaunch with clásico statement | Sid Lowe theguardian.com ↩
- Marca: Cucurella se come a Lamine... tras la advertencia en el Mundial marca.com ↩
- Marca: Lunin, el 'clasicómano' del Madrid marca.com ↩
- Marca: Gerard López retrata la realidad del Madrid tras el Clásico: "Sin Vinicius este equipo corre más y mejor" marca.com ↩
- Marca: Pendientes de Fede; mañana, pruebas marca.com ↩
