Moroccan-Equatorial Guinean Lamine Yamal stars as Barcelona beat Real Madrid to close in on LaLiga title

Lamine Yamal delivered a standout performance as Barcelona edged past Real Madrid 4-3 in a thrilling 261st El Clásico, moving a step closer to sealing the LaLiga title.

This win, which also follows their Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey final victories over their arch-rivals, marked another critical triumph for the Catalan giants.

Yamal, who has both Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean heritage, was instrumental in turning the tide after Barcelona fell two goals behind early on.

Real Madrid wasted no time asserting themselves, winning a penalty within the first five minutes when Kylian Mbappé capitalized on Pau Cubarsi’s defensive error and was brought down by Wojciech Szczęsny.

Despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it, Mbappé converted from the spot. Moments later, the French forward doubled the lead, breaking through Barcelona’s backline to score again from a Vinícius Júnior assist. Barcelona, however, rallied quickly.

Eric García halved the deficit by heading in from Ferran Torres’ flicked corner, and despite a couple of impressive saves from Thibaut Courtois to deny Yamal and Gerard Martín, the hosts drew level when Yamal unleashed a perfectly placed first-time shot into the bottom corner from Torres’ lay-off.

Raphinha then completed a remarkable comeback before the break, capitalizing on a mix-up between Mbappé and Dani Ceballos.

The Brazilian pounced on Pedri’s through ball to round Courtois and slot home, ensuring Barcelona went into the interval ahead. He added his second soon after, dispossessing Lucas Vázquez to extend the lead.

Though Mbappé managed to complete his hat-trick late in the second half, it wasn’t enough to prevent a Barcelona victory.

The Catalans now hold a seven-point lead at the top of LaLiga, needing just one more win from their remaining three matches to clinch the title and secure a historic treble.