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<p>Alonso Secures First Clásico Victory</p>
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<img alt="El Clasico: Real Madrid beat Barcelona with Mbappe on fire despite VAR chaos" src="https://tmssl.akamaized.net//images/foto/galerie/mbappe-real-madrid-1761500022-181287.jpg" title="El Clasico: Real Madrid beat Barcelona with Mbappe on fire despite VAR chaos"></img>
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<p><span>©IMAGO</span></p>
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<p>El Clásico is the most eagerly awaited club match in global football, and Real Madrid and Barcelona delivered both excitement and quality. Spectators at the Santiago Bernabéu experienced a thrilling encounter, although VAR played a controversial role—both teams left feeling aggrieved. Key storylines emerged prior to the match: Xabi Alonso’s squad could pull five points ahead with a win, while Hansi Flick aimed to become the first Barcelona manager since Pep Guardiola (2008-10) to achieve five consecutive Clásicos victories in all competitions. Unfortunately for Flick, Barcelona fell short as Madrid secured a 2-1 victory, ending their four-game losing streak, while Kylian Mbappé celebrated a significant personal milestone.</p>
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<p>Club Comparison</p>
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<p>€1.40bn</p>
<p>Market Value</p>
<p>€1.11bn</p>
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<p>First Tier</p>
<p>League Level</p>
<p>First Tier</p>
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<p>€167.50m</p>
<p>Expenditures 25/26</p>
<p>€27.50m</p>
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<p>Xabi Alonso</p>
<p>Managers</p>
<p>Hansi Flick</p>
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<p><span>Complete Club Comparison</span></p>
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<p>Referee César Soto Grado was kept busy throughout the match. He awarded an initial penalty when Lamine Yamal made contact with Vinicius Junior in the box, but overturned the decision after VAR indicated that Yamal had touched the ball. Mbappé soon gave Madrid the lead with a stunning volley, but VAR intervened again, correctly ruling out the goal for a narrow offside. On his third attempt, Mbappé capitalized, scoring his 32nd goal for club and country in only 27 matches, matching his record of seven consecutive La Liga games with a goal—an achievement he previously reached with PSG in the 2018/19 season. He also became just the third player to score in four consecutive Clásicos, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.</p>
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<p>Fermín López equalized for Barcelona with a sharp finish, marking the 208th goal for Barcelona since Flick’s arrival, following his impressive hat-trick against Olympiacos in the Champions League. However, Madrid threatened whenever they launched an attack, taking advantage of poor defending from Barça. Vinicius Junior's cross found Éder Militão, who headed it back for Jude Bellingham to score, putting Madrid back in front at 2-1. Mbappé had another goal ruled out for offside after following up on Bellingham's saved shot.</p>
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<img alt="Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Last 5 Clasico clashes" height="629" src="https://tmssl.akamaized.net//images/foto/newsansicht/real-madrid-clasico-alonso-1761500764-181289.png?lm=1761500788" title="Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Last 5 Clasico clashes" width="503"></img>
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<p>The referee reviewed a potential penalty after Eric García was deemed to have handled the ball in the area. In a surprising turn, he awarded a penalty to Real Madrid, where Mbappé’s attempt was saved by Wojciech Szczesny, keeping the score at 2-1—leaving Barcelona feeling it was justice served. The game unfolded with an energetic back-and-forth, with both teams seeing goals disallowed correctly.</p>
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<p>To add to the spectacle, Vinicius Junior angrily stormed down the tunnel after being substituted, while Pedri received a second yellow card, resulting in a melee. With a five-point advantage at the top, Alonso knows they could lose at Barcelona and still maintain title hopes, but with 29 matches left, the race for the title is far from settled.</p>
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