Madrid ends Barcelona's nine-game league streak

Kylian Mbappe scored two goals on Sunday night to help Real Madrid defeat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou. The result ended Barcelona's nine-match winning run in La Liga and gave Real Madrid the lead in the all-time head-to-head record between the two clubs.

Real Madrid had entered the match as underdogs. Barcelona had not lost a league game this season and were one point away from breaking the club's 1968-69 record for the best start to a Spanish top-flight campaign. A win for the visitors also marked their first league victory over Barcelona in the current season.

Mbappe's brace brought his total for Real Madrid to 100 goals across all competitions since joining the club from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024. The 27-year-old forward had previously finished as the top scorer in La Liga and the Champions League last season, in addition to winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup.

Manager Jose Mourinho, in his first season back in Spain after two trophy-less years for Real Madrid, credited his team's focus on winning the championship rather than just the match. "If we win today but lose at El Sardinero, it counts for nothing, because Madrid isn't playing to win at the Camp Nou," Mourinho said. "They're playing to win the championship."

The victory extends Real Madrid's winning streak to five consecutive matches, comprising three in La Liga and two in the Champions League. This surge in form follows a period earlier in the season where the team lost to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid.

In the La Liga standings, Real Madrid now sit in third place with 24 points after 10 matches. They trail Barcelona, who are in first, by three points. Atletico Madrid occupy second place with 25 points, sitting between the two rivals.

Barcelona's defeat also followed a recent loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, marking a second consecutive defeat for Hansi Flick's side in major competitions this season.