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Today was a very special day for football fans in Spain. Real Madrid played against Barcelona in a match called "El Clásico". This is the biggest match in Spanish football. The two teams played at Real Madrid's home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. More than 83,000 people watched the game.
Real Madrid won the match 2-1. This was an important win because Real Madrid had lost their last four games against Barcelona. Now Real Madrid is five points ahead of Barcelona in the league table.
How the Game Started
The match started with a lot of excitement. After only four minutes, the referee gave Real Madrid a penalty. Vinicius Junior was running with the ball and Lamine Yamal pushed him down in the penalty area. But after checking the video, the referee changed his mind. There was no penalty.
In the first 15 minutes, Real Madrid scored a goal. But this goal did not count because one player was offside. The referee used VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to check this decision.
The Goals
Real Madrid scored their first goal in the 22nd minute. Jude Bellingham, the English midfielder, gave a perfect pass to Kylian Mbappé. The French striker shot the ball into the net. It was a beautiful goal and the home fans were very happy.
Barcelona did not give up. They worked hard to score a goal. In the 38th minute, Barcelona made the score equal. Marcus Rashford, the English forward who plays for Barcelona, passed the ball to Fermín López. López scored to make it 1-1. The Barcelona fans celebrated loudly.
But Real Madrid scored again before half-time. In the 43rd minute, Dean Huijsen sent a high cross into the penalty area. Jude Bellingham was in the right place and scored easily. Real Madrid was winning 2-1 at half-time.
The Second Half
The second half was very dramatic. In the 52nd minute, Real Madrid got another penalty. Bellingham's cross hit the arm of Eric Garcia, the Barcelona defender. The referee checked VAR and gave a penalty.
Kylian Mbappé took the penalty kick. But the Barcelona goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, made a fantastic save. He stopped the ball and Barcelona was still in the game.
Barcelona tried very hard to score another goal. They attacked many times but they could not score. The Real Madrid defence was strong and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made some good saves.
The Dramatic Ending
The match finished with some drama. In the last minutes of the game, Barcelona's Pedri got a red card. He received two yellow cards and had to leave the field. After the final whistle, there was a fight between some players from both teams. The referee had to separate them.
What This Means
This victory is very important for Real Madrid. They have won 12 of their 13 matches this season. Their only loss was 5-2 against Atletico Madrid in September. Real Madrid is now the leader of La Liga with five points more than Barcelona.
For Barcelona, this is their third loss this season. They also lost to Paris Saint-Germain (2-1) and to Sevilla (4-1). Barcelona's coach Hansi Flick will need to help his team improve.
Kylian Mbappé is the top scorer in La Liga this season with 10 goals. Even though he missed a penalty today, he played very well. Jude Bellingham was the best player of the match. He scored one goal and helped Mbappé score another goal.
The Historic Rivalry
El Clásico is one of the most famous football matches in the world. These two teams have played against each other for many years. The rivalry is not just about football. It is also about history, politics and culture. Real Madrid represents the capital of Spain, while Barcelona represents Catalonia, a region with its own language and identity.
After today's match, Real Madrid has won 106 matches against Barcelona in official competitions. Barcelona has won 104 matches. There have been 52 draws. The rivalry is very close and every match is important.
Last season, Barcelona won all four matches against Real Madrid. This had never happened before. So today's win is very special for Real Madrid fans. They ended their losing streak against their biggest rivals.
Looking Forward
Both teams will continue to fight for the La Liga title this season. Real Madrid is in a strong position now, but there are still many matches to play. Barcelona has very good players like Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Marcus Rashford. They will want to win the next El Clásico.
The next time these two great teams meet will be another exciting day for football fans around the world. Today showed us that El Clásico is still the most exciting match in Spanish football.
GLOSSARY (Words to Help You Learn)
ahead - in front, winning by some points
assistant referee - a person who helps the main referee
celebrate - to show happiness about something good
count - to be valid or accepted
cross - when a player kicks the ball from the side to the middle
culture - the way of life, traditions and beliefs of people
defend/defence - to try to stop the other team from scoring
defender - a player who helps stop the other team from scoring
dramatic - very exciting with surprising events
draw - when both teams have the same score at the end
equal - the same
forward - an attacking player who tries to score goals
goalkeeper - the player who stops the ball from going into the goal
half-time - the break in the middle of a match
identity - what makes a person or place special and different
league table - a list that shows which teams are winning
loss - when a team does not win a match
midfielder - a player who plays in the middle of the field
net - the material at the back of the goal
offside - when an attacking player is in an illegal position
penalty - a free kick from close to the goal after a foul
penalty area - the box near the goal where penalties are given
perfect - exactly right, with no mistakes
red card - when a referee sends a player off the field
referee - the person who controls the match and makes decisions
region - an area or part of a country
represent - to stand for or be a symbol of
rivalry - strong competition between two teams or people
save - when a goalkeeper stops a shot
score/scorer - to put the ball in the goal / person who scores
separate - to move apart or keep away from each other
shoot/shot - to kick the ball towards the goal
stadium - the building where football matches are played
streak - a series of wins or losses in a row
striker - a player whose main job is to score goals
top scorer - the player who has scored the most goals
VAR - Video Assistant Referee (uses video to check decisions)
victory - a win
whistle - the sound the referee makes to stop or start play
yellow card - a warning from the referee
