Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid: comeback, historic robbery, and La Liga sealed!

FC Barcelona is just one win away from sealing their 28th LaLiga title after a heroic comeback against Real Madrid (4-3). The Culés overturned a two-goal deficit in the first 15 minutes and now hold a 7-point lead over the 'Casa Blanca' with only 3 matches left to play.

In that sense, if Barça beats Espanyol at Cornellà, Hansi Flick's side will be able to close the season with a thoroughly deserved double, which includes four victories in the four Clásicos against Madrid.

The match began, as expected, with refereeing controversies. Los 'Merengues' went 0-2 up before the first quarter of an hour thanks to a Kylian Mbappé brace, preceded by an offside and a stamp by Fede Valverde on Lamine Yamal.

Even so, the Azulgrana side turned the score around by relying on their usual high press in the opponent's half and their clinical finishing in the opponent's box. A brace from Raphinha, along with goals from Eric García and Lamine, buried any of Real Madrid's hopes for the LaLiga title.

Eric García and Lamine Yamal to Barça's Rescue After Hernández Hernández's 'Robbery'

Hernández Hernández awarded a penalty for a foul by Szczesny on Mbappé before the 3rd minute. The number '9' was offside at the start of the play, but VAR considered that Pau Cubarsí's deflection before 'Kiki' entered the box played the forward onside, although the Frenchman was clearly ahead of the Azulgrana defensive line when Fede Valverde made the through pass.

After reviewing the Frenchman's position, Kylian scored from the penalty spot with a shot across goal. Barça reacted with a shot from Eric García, but Los Blancos struck again in the 14th minute with another goal from the Bondy native, this time assisted by Vinicius Jr. However, before the Brazilian's pass, there was a very clear stamp by Valverde on Lamine that was overlooked by the referees.

Thus, in a quarter of an hour, refereeing favors made things very difficult for Flick's side. But this team is expert in comebacks and, before halftime, an unstoppable offensive arsenal was unleashed upon the Madridistas.

In the 19th minute, Eric García reduced the deficit after a corner from the left. Ferran Torres got to the near post first, flicking the ball on for the number '24' to score another key goal. With the score at 1-2, Barça swarmed the Madrid box, making Courtois a standout figure with up to three brilliant saves from the Belgian.

However, Real Madrid's resistance couldn't hold out much longer. In the 32nd minute, Ferran registered another assist, this time passing the ball to the right flank where Lamine Yamal, with time and space, unleashed a left-footed shot into the top corner, impossible for Courtois, bringing the youngster's tally to 3 goals in Clásicos.

Raphinha Completed Barça's Comeback with Another Brace

Raphinha celebrating one of his goals in Barça-Madrid

Madrid's defense was all at sea and, two minutes after the equalizer, an error in Dani Ceballos's build-up play allowed Pedri to thread a perfect pass to Raphinha. The Brazilian easily beat Lucas Vázquez and unleashed an unstoppable strike, completing the comeback in a crazy 15-minute spell.

Los Blancos tried to react after Hernández Hernández spared Tchouaméni a clear red card for a last-man foul on Ferran. Afterwards, there was another penalty claim for Mbappé, this time disallowed for an offside by Jude Bellingham.

The incident was also reviewable, as it was a dive by the Frenchman, simulating a tackle from Frenkie de Jong. Before halftime, Barcelona extended their lead with another goal from Raphinha, following a glaring mistake by Lucas when trying to control a ball in his own area.

The Brazilian's pressure made the 'Merengue' captain hesitate and, after recovering the ball, the number '11' passed to Ferran, who played a one-two to complete his hat-trick of assists in the first half. 4-2 and the match was settled after a wild first half.

Halftime Stats for Barça-Madrid

1. Shots: 11-2
2. Shots on target: 7-2
3. Possession: 63% - 37%
4. Fouls: 8-7
5. Bookings: 1-2
6. Offsides: 0-3
7. Corners: 8-0

Cubarsí Substituted with an Injury in the Second Half

After the break, Carlo Ancelotti tweaked his XI by bringing on Luka Modric and Brahim Díaz for Ceballos and a non-existent Arda Güler. Barcelona scored a fifth in the 52nd minute, but Lamine was slightly offside at the start of a play that was, once again, finished by Raphinha and 'El Tiburón' (Ferran Torres).

Five minutes later, Hansi Flick also made changes, bringing on Alejandro Balde and Andreas Christensen for Gerard Martín and Pau Cubarsí. The latter left the field with an apparent muscle injury.

The Dane made his first significant intervention in the 61st minute, with a providential interception after a pass from Vinicius that sought to leave Mbappé alone against Szczesny once more.

Mbappé Pulled One Back for Madrid in the 70th Minute

The Culés had the game under control, until an error by Iñigo in midfield allowed Modric to win the ball back and thread a lethal pass to Vinicius. The number '7', onside this time, didn't hesitate to pass to the left, where Mbappé arrived to finish with ease. With this, the Frenchman reached 27 goals in LaLiga, extending his lead over Lewandowski for the Pichichi trophy.

The Catalan team reacted immediately with an exquisite assist from Lamine from the right, but Raphinha, arriving unmarked on the left again, shot high, wasting what seemed like a certain goal.

Despite the Monumental Robbery, Barça Will Be League Champions

Flick brought on Héctor Fort and Fermín López in the 77th minute for Eric and Olmo, looking to freshen up an XI showing clear signs of fatigue. After the 80th minute, a shot from Fermín inside the six-yard box hit Tchouaméni's left arm, but Hernández Hernández, despite reviewing the incident on the monitor, deemed it not to be a punishable handball.

An absolute robbery, as the Frenchman had his arm extended, increasing his body volume and, therefore, causing the deflection of a shot on goal. But hey, the meeting between Javier Tebas, the Canarian referee, and the Madrid board 48 hours before El Clásico was not in vain.

Towards the end, Gavi came on for Ferran and Víctor Muñoz for Vinicius. The academy product had a clear chance with the first ball he touched, but he shot high when facing Szczesny after another lethal counter-attack by the 'Merengues'. To make matters worse, a goal by Fermín in stoppage time was disallowed for a handball by the Huelva native, completely unintentional, while recovering a ball on the wing.

Despite all the controversies, Barcelona deservedly won a historic Clásico that is worth half the league. The Culés only need one more victory to celebrate one of the hardest-fought titles in recent years, against the referees, Tebas, Madrid, and a thousand obstacles that have not conditioned the performance of a team looking to define an era.

Final Stats for Barça-Madrid

1. Shots: 22-9
2. Shots on target: 9-5
3. Possession: 63% - 37%
4. Fouls: 17-15
5. Bookings: 4-3
6. Offsides: 1-5
7. Corners: 10-2

Match Details: FC Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid

• FC Barcelona, 4: Szczesny; Eric García (Fort, min. 77), Cubarsí (Christensen, min. 57), Iñigo, Gerard Martín (Balde, min. 57); De Jong, Pedri; Olmo (Fermín, min. 77), Lamine, Raphinha; Ferran (Gavi, min. 88).
• Real Madrid, 3: Courtois; Lucas Vázquez (Endrick, min. 84), Tchouaméni, Asencio, Fran García: Ceballos (Modric, min. 46), Valverde, Bellingham; Arda Güler (Brahim, min. 46), Mbappé y Vinicius (Víctor Muñoz, min. 87).
• Goals: 0-1, Kylian Mbappé (min. 5, p.); 0-2, Kylian Mbappé (min. 14); 1-2, Eric García (min. 19); 2-2, Lamine Yamal (min. 32), 3-2, Raphinha (min. 34); 4-2, Raphinha (min. 45); 4-3, Kylian Mbappé (min. 70).
• Referee: Hernández Hernández. Awarded a penalty for Szczesny on Mbappé in the 4th minute. Validated another Mbappé goal in the 14th minute preceded by a foul from Valverde on Lamine Yamal. For Madrid, he booked Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fede Valverde, and Raúl Asencio. In the 36th minute, he spared Tchouaméni a red card. For Barça, he cautioned Ronald Araujo on the bench and Iñigo Martínez and Fermín López in the second half. He also did not award a penalty at the end for a clear handball by Tchouaméni. Disallowed a goal in stoppage time for a prior handball by Fermín López.
• Stadium: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys de Montjuïc (50,319 spectators - attendance record).
• Incidents: Match corresponding to matchday 35 of LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25.