Madrid remained top, level on points with second-place Girona. Barcelona is in third place at four points back.
Barcelona, Spain: Jude Bellingham won’t forget his first “clasico” match as the England midfielder scored two goals including a stoppage-time winner to lead Real Madrid to a 2-1 comeback victory at Barcelona in the Spanish league on Saturday.
They were Bellingham’s 12th and 13th goals in 13 games in all competitions since he joined Madrid this summer, including a Spanish league-leading 10 goals in 11 rounds.
Barcelona went ahead in the sixth minute through former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan’s first goal for his new club. The hosts also hit the woodwork twice before Bellingham equalized.
Bellingham was kept in check by Barcelona’s Gavi Paéz until he found space well outside the box to unleash a strike in the 68th that swerved past Marc-Andre ter Stegen and hit the corner of the net.
Bellingham then tapped in the stoppage-time winner when a cross by Dani Carvajal deflected by Luka Modric fell to him in front of the net.
Madrid remained top, level on points with second-place Girona. Barcelona is in third place at four points back.
Bellingham has transformed into a clinical finisher since moving to Spain’s capital. In all of last season he had 14 goals for former club Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
While his winner was a goal of instinct and knowing where to be in the final seconds just in case the ball came his way, his equalizer was a precise and powerful strike.
“(Bellingham) scored two goals and changed the game for Real Madrid,” Ter Stegen said. “We had all in our favor and didn’t know how to hold onto the lead.”
Barcelona dictated the first half, and Gundogan’s insistence on chasing a ball that Madrid appeared to be certain to control or clear paid off with Barcelona’s early goal.
Gundogan worked a quick passing combination with Ferran Torres, but it was a poor touch by Aurélien Tchouaméni that let Gundogan continue his run forward past Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, who were both slow to react. Alaba failed to kick the ball to safety and Gundogan only had to tap it past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Barcelona went for a second goal and almost found it when Gavi stripped the ball from Toni Kroos near Madrid’s area and set up Fermín López, whose shot hit the post.
Barcelona’s Íñigo Martínez headed off the post in the 51st and Kepa had to turn away Ronald Araújo’s attempt to put in the rebound.
Gavi, Barcelona’s 19-year-old workhorse, was everywhere — tackling Vinícius Júnior on the flank and hustling to bail out his defense — when Bellingham finally got free to take possession with a risky tackle, picking Kroos’ pocket in Madrid’s area.
But that only lasted a little over an hour before Bellingham took over and delivered a statement performance that will add to his status as Madrid’s new star.
“They had 25 good minutes and scored twice, and we had good 60 minutes and only scored once,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández said. “I sincerely think that if one team should have won today it was Barca. But Madrid is like this. If you don’t finish them off, they come back and kill you.”