Bellingham sets El Clasico record as Real beat Barca in key

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham became the youngest player to score and assist in a match against Barcelona in all competitions in the 21st century (22 years and 119 days).

The first El Clasico of the season saw Real host fierce rivals Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday afternoon, and it was the hosts that claimed all three points, winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Bellingham.

The latter set up Mbappe’s opening goal, and he netted his own strike just before the half-time interval, ensuring that Real remained five points ahead of the visitors in first place with 27 points.

Bellingham became the youngest player to score and assist in El Clasico in the 21st century, surpassing the record set by Vinicius Junior (22 years and 267 days) in April 2023.

Boss Xabi Alonso will be delighted by the Englishman’s performance, and he will hope that he can lead the team to their second La Liga title in three seasons. 

La Liga title race: Can Barcelona catch Real Madrid?

There is no doubting the quality that Barcelona possess in the forward line, and with manager Hansi Flick implementing an aggressive style of play, pacey and technical attackers such as Lamine Yamal will always have opportunities to impact games.

However, the Catalans have not kept a clean sheet in any of their past seven fixtures, and they have conceded at least two goals in three of their six most recent outings.

Real have kept three clean sheets in their last six in all competitions, and Alonso’s willingness to adapt could give his side the edge over Flick’s Barca.

Flick may be able to close the gap, but considering he has not yet shown he can adapt his high-risk playstyle, it would not be surprising if the team dropped further points in the coming weeks.

Real’s biggest challengers for the Champions League this season appear to be Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, and all four will pose a different set of challenges.

Bayern Munich and PSG are arguably the two best attacking sides in world football, while Arsenal are likely the best defensive team in the tournament.

Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold could be key to getting the better of their Champions League rivals, as his unique ability to play progressively forward from defence could lead to a number of opportunities for the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.

The former Liverpool man will first have to prove his fitness given he has started just two times in La Liga this term, but if he manages to overcome his injury problems, his passing range is sure to be a significant asset in the knockout rounds of Europe’s premier competition.

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