The Catalans' electrifying wide men put Los Blancos to the sword on Sunday as they came out on top in a seven-goal thriller
A Raphinha and Lamine Yamal masterclass put Barcelona on the brink of another La Liga triumph after a remarkable 4-3 comeback win over Real Madrid on Sunday.
The fourth and final Clasico of the season started with a bang when Kylian Mbappe was brought down in the box by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, and the French forward dispatched the subsequent spot-kick in the fifth minute. Things then went from bad to worse for Barca when Mbappe was on hand to finish off a rapid-fire counter-attack to make it 2-0 just nine minutes later.
Madrid were indebted to their own 'keeper Thibaut Courtois after he made excellent stops to deny Eric Garcia and Yamal, but there was nothing he could do to stop the former's header in the 19th minute. The galvanised hosts kept pushing for an equaliser and got it in spectacular fashion when Yamal curled a stunning finish past a helpless Courtois just after the half-hour mark from the edge of the area.
A shell-shocked Madrid, who were still finding joy on the transition and with long balls over the top, could not handle Barca's high press and coughed up a third goal two minutes later through Raphinha. Then, mere moments after Los Blancos had a penalty overturned for offside in the build-up, Raphinha pinched the ball off a dawdling Lucas Vazquez, and then Ferran Torres set him up to tuck the ball home on the stroke of half-time.
Yamal looked to have grabbed his second after the break when he tapped in Raphinha's pass across the six-yard box, but the Barca captain was offside in the build-up. And just when it looked like the league leaders would cruise to victory, the lethal Mbappe grabbed his hat-trick after Vinicius Jr neatly set up the 26-year-old.
Raphinha then missed a sitter to put the contest to bed, and despite a nervy finale, which included both Mbapp and Fermin Lopez having goals chalked off, Hansi Flick's team moved seven points clear at the top of La Liga with just three matches remaining having beaten Madrid all four times in all competitions this season.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys…
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Wojciech Szczesny (4/10):
The veteran was made to look very slow when he brought Mbappe down in the box, and then was helpless for Madrid's second and third. Going forward, they need a better keeper.
Eric Garcia (7/10):
While he had a couple of problems early on with Vinicius, the right-back largely held his own against the Brazilian and kickstarted Barca's comeback by continuing his good recent form with a well-taken header to reduce the early arrears.
Pau Cubarsi (4/10):
The young defender made two poor touches that led to Barcelona conceding an early penalty, and was too easily bypassed for Mbappe's second. Came off injured before the hour mark.
Inigo Martinez (5/10):
Was caught out on a number of occasions as Mbappe tore Barca's backline to shreds.
Gerard Martin (7/10):
Another solid showing from the left-back as he kept Guler relatively quiet down the Madrid right.
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Frenkie de Jong (7/10):
The Dutchman helped shut down Madrid's midfield and performances like these highlight why he is a starter in Flick's team now.
Pedri (7/10):
Was part of a midfield that was initially overrun but they eventually gained the upper hand and outnumbered Madrid in the centre of the park.
Dani Olmo (8/10):
Played a big part in re-energising his team's fightback, thanks to his creativity and vision.
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Lamine Yamal (9/10):
The wonderkid was a bit sluggish early on but took his goal in delicious fashion and showed all of his tricks from there on in. He and Raphinha ripped Madrid's defence to shreds.
Ferran Torres (8/10):
Led the line well and stretched Madrid's backline with his directness. Was heavily involved in two of Barca's goals.
Raphinha (9/10):
Showed off his ruthless edge with two well-taken goals, the second of which came from his relentless pressing. The ex-Leeds United star had so much joy down the left and toyed with the opposition. Could, and should, have had more, though.
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Andreas Christensen (7/10):
Blocked a critical cross with virtually his first touch and was a real rock at the back off the bench.
Alejandro Balde (5/10):
Looked a bit sluggish on his return from a hamstring injury.
Fermin Lopez (7/10):
Scored a brilliant solo goal to put some extra gloss on the scoreline, only for it to be ruled out for handball.
Hector Fort (6/10):
Was in the right place at the right time to keep his defence secure.
Gavi (N/A):
The midfielder did not have enough time to make an impact.
Hansi Flick (7/10):
Barca were chasing shadows early on as Madrid's tactics worked wonders, but his side dramatically turned the tables on their great rivals with a remarkable 25-minute goal fest. Flick got the better of Carlo Ancelotti in a Clasico for the ages.
