Barcelona Thrash Real Madrid In First El Clásico of the Season

Barcelona dismantled Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu, handing their arch-rivals a humiliating defeat in the first El Clásico of the 2024/25 season. A clinical second-half display from Robert Lewandowski and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal ensured Barça claimed bragging rights in a one-sided encounter.

The match was billed as one of the most anticipated Clásicos in recent years, featuring new faces like Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid and Hansi Flick making his debut in the Barcelona dugout. Both sides showed early attacking intent, with Mbappe causing trouble from the outset. He narrowly missed scoring twice—first with a chipped attempt ruled offside and then with a strike after pouncing on a defensive error by Pau Cubarsí.

Barcelona also had their moments in the first half. Lamine Yamal came close to opening the scoring when he went one-on-one with Andriy Lunin, but the Real Madrid keeper pulled off a crucial save. Pedri later tested Lunin again with a tricky shot, signalling Barça’s growing threat.

The breakthrough came in the 54th minute, as Lewandowski latched onto a precise pass from Marc Casado and coolly slotted the ball past Lunin to put Barça ahead. Just two minutes later, the Polish striker doubled his tally with a towering header from Alejandro Balde’s cross, silencing the Bernabeu crowd.

Lewandowski came agonizingly close to a hat-trick, first hitting the post from a Raphinha cut-back and then skying a shot over the bar from Yamal’s cross.

With Real Madrid desperate to respond, Mbappe continued to threaten but was denied by an alert Iñaki Peña. However, the game slipped beyond Madrid’s reach when Lamine Yamal added Barcelona’s third in the 77th minute, finishing sharply from a Raphinha assist.

Raphinha completed the demolition in the 84th minute, chipping the ball over Lunin to cap off an emphatic 4-0 win for Barcelona.

This devastating defeat leaves Real Madrid reeling as they struggle to find consistency under Carlo Ancelotti, while Hansi Flick’s Barça looks revitalized. Lewandowski’s brace and Yamal’s impact underline the team’s dangerous mix of experience and youthful exuberance.

Barcelona’s emphatic victory sends a clear message to their rivals, reigniting their LaLiga title ambitions and showing the strength of Flick’s tactical philosophy early in the season.