Real Madrid started El Clasico brilliantly at Montjuïc, winning an early penalty converted by Kylian Mbappe to take the lead against their historic rivals.

In the 4th minute, Dani Ceballos sent a long ball from midfield behind Barcelona’s defensive line. Jules Koundé made a fatal mistake, failing to control the ball properly. As he attempted a backpass to Marc-André ter Stegen, Mbappe seized the opportunity, charging toward the ball. Ter Stegen, in another error, fouled Mbappe, bringing him down inside the box.

Referee Hernandez Hernandez, whom Real Madrid had accused of bias, immediately pointed to the spot. VAR reviewed the incident to check for offside before the penalty was awarded, but the offside was eventually dismissed.

Mbappe stepped up and sent the ball into the bottom right corner. Ter Stegen guessed the direction but couldn’t keep it out, giving Real Madrid the lead.

Mbappe had previously scored twice against Barcelona in Real Madrid’s 5-2 Supercopa defeat and in the Copa del Rey final. This was his third goal against Barcelona, completing his hat-trick against the historic rivals.

In the 15th minute, Mbappe scored again, reaching a historic milestone. In his first season with Real Madrid, he has now scored four times against Barcelona.

Barcelona will protest this goal, arguing that Federico Valverde fouled Lamine Yamal in the buildup. In this incident, Pau Cubarsí couldn’t dispossess Yamal, but Valverde used a slight shoulder charge to win the ball. While Yamal was on the ground, Valverde quickly passed to Vinícius Jr., who delivered a brilliant outside-foot cross to Mbappe. The French star doesn’t miss such chances, slotting home his second after reading Ter Stegen’s positioning.