Real Madrid suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat on home soil to bitter rival Barcelona on Saturday in the latest edition of El Clásico.
After a relatively even first half at the Santiago Bernabéu had ended 0-0, an early double from Robert Lewandowski at the start of the second period set Barcelona on its way to a statement victory.
Lamine Yamal made it 3-0 midway through the second half to become the youngest goalscorer in El Clásico history at just 17 years and 106 days old, before Raphinha added the fourth close to the end.
“I have always said that I am very happy to work and live in Barcelona,” manager Hansi Flick said after the game, per Diario AS, when asked if it was his best night since taking the job in May.
“It is an incredible job and a new part of my life. I am very proud of the team … it gives confidence. The players celebrated in the dressing room and I love seeing that.”
The defeat ended Real Madrid’s 42-game unbeaten run in La Liga, finishing one match short of equaling the all-time record set by Barcelona between 2017 and 2018.
Barcelona’s victory extended its early lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to six points, with the team led by an impressive group of young stars.
There has been much talk in recent years of Barcelona’s famed La Maria academy not producing the same talent it once used to, but five of the players who started Saturday’s match came through the club’s ranks.
That included two 17-year-olds, Yamal and Pau Cubarsí.
The big win caps an impressive week for Barcelona, which also hammered Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
It was a particularly tough night for Real Madrid’s newest superstar Kylian Mbappé, who struggled in his first taste of El Clásico.
The French forward struggled to impact the game, missing two good chances, and was caught offside eight times during the contest.
But Real manager Carlo Ancelotti was sanguine in his assessment of the match, insisting the result wouldn’t define the team’s season.
“We don’t have to throw everything in the bin, because there’s nothing to throw away,” the Italian said, per AS. “We have to forget the last 30 minutes. The season is very long, we must not give up. We have to learn. We learned very well from the last defeat and I think the same will happen again. The team can do better and we will.
“I’m worried about the defeat, but we have to lift ourselves quickly. We did well until the mistakes in the second half. We have to keep competing and fighting. We already lost 0-4 to Barça here and won the League and the Champions League. We’re going to compete like we did. We’re not going to be far from where we were last season.”
Following the game, Real Madrid said it would be opening an investigation after videos on social media appeared to show Yamal receiving racist abuse from the stands.
“Real Madrid strongly condemns any kind of behaviour involving racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport, and deeply regrets the insults that a few fans uttered last night in one of the corners of the stadium,” the club statement read.
“Real Madrid has opened an investigation in order to locate and identify the perpetrators of these deplorable and despicable insults so that the appropriate disciplinary and judicial measures can be taken.”
Source: edition.cnn.com