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Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal spoil Kylian Mbappé’s first Clasico as Barcelona beat Real Madrid
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Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal spoil Kylian Mbappé’s first Clasico as Barcelona beat Real Madrid

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Lamine Yamal piled in to ruin Kylian Mbappé’s opening clasico as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 4-0 on Saturday.

Barcelona ended Madrid’s unbeaten run in La Liga with 42 games, one short of Barcelona’s record in 2017-18. Carlo Ancelotti’s side suffered their first defeat since September 23 last year.

Lewandowski scored from a superb pass from Barcelona’s latest young talent Marc Casadó in the 54th minute and headed home a second goal three minutes later to silence the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

They were the Polish striker’s 16th and 17th goals this season, taking his best tally in the league to 14. He also hit the post.

Yamal suffered a rout in the 77th when the teenage phenom fired a shot from an angle at goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Raphinha got involved in the claret and blue celebration when he broke free as Madrid pressed and chipped Lunin in the 84th.

Mbappé had a frustrating first match against Barcelona in the white jersey.

The French star was caught offside on several occasions by Barcelona’s synchronized defense and failed to beat second-choice goalkeeper Iñaki Peña one-on-one as his side went two goals down.

Hansi Flick, meanwhile, had an unforgettable evening in the first clasico for the German coach.

Barcelona still have financial problems that cast doubt on their future, but their team has made huge strides since Flick replaced Barcelona great Xavi Hernández this summer.

Barcelona opened up a six-point lead at the top of La Liga over second-placed Madrid after 11 rounds.

“We had a difficult week with difficult matches, but we were able to get through it. We played a great game,” said Casadó, an unknown player on the reserve team until Flick picked him as a midfielder after his impressive outing.

Casadó was one of five local players Flick had included in his starting lineup, the same 11 who had beaten Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League three days before. In total, six players under the age of 22 started for Barcelona, ​​led by Yamal and 17-year-old Pau Cubarsí, and showed no signs of being intimidated by the storyline.

Yamal eclipsed Mbappé this summer when Spain beat France en route to the European Championship, and he did it again by displaying the finishing touch that Mbappé lacked. To top it off, he scored his beautiful goal with his supposedly “less good” right foot.

Mbappé was ruled offside five times in the first half hour as Barcelona pressed high. Vinícius Júnior, author of a fascinating duel with Cubarsí, missed a golden opportunity in the 21st minute by going over the post from close range.

Peña was asked if he was up to the task of replacing Marc-André ter Stegen, who is out for a long time due to a knee injury. His strong performance, which included two saves to deny Mbappé, was his first big game in front of Barcelona’s goal.

“Our coach said playing a high defensive line was non-negotiable,” Peña said. “It’s risky to play with such a high defense line, but the effort and work of the whole team is reflected in the offside traps we create.”

Raphinha’s goal confirmed his huge step forward under Flick. The Brazilian striker, who captained Barcelona, ​​has 10 goals this campaign.

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