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April 21, 2024

Bellingham Decides El Clásico with Dramatic Winner for Real Madrid Against Barcelona – La Liga

The season started with Jude Bellingham and seems destined to end with him, too. In August, the English star made his mark on La Liga, scoring on his debut in front of the stands they call the Cathedral, arms outstretched, announcing his arrival in Spain. Eight months later, he did it again in the heart of the Santiago Bernabéu—this time in front of 77,981 fans and millions watching worldwide. It has become his signature; this time, it meant the title.

With 90 minutes played in football’s most iconic rivalry, the score stood at 2-2. Then, Lucas Vázquez, relentless throughout the match, delivered one final cross towards the far post. And Bellingham—the man who has owned this season—was charging in to meet the ball. Striking it first with his left foot, he sent the ball crashing into the roof of the net, sending the Bernabéu into a frenzy. It was his 17th league goal, perhaps the one that sealed the title. He had done it in classic Real Madrid fashion—the more dramatic, the sweeter the victory.

Having grown up watching El Clásico and dreaming of nights like this, Bellingham now owned it. In October, his two goals had already helped Real Madrid stage a comeback against Barcelona at Montjuïc. Now, his late winner secured a 3-2 victory and extended Madrid’s lead to 11 points with just six games remaining. As his teammates celebrated with the fans, Bellingham danced with Vázquez in the corner before passionately pulling at the Madrid badge.

The Bernabéu echoed with chants of Jude Bellingham’s name, soon followed by the anthem of champions. “Champions, champions,” they sang, knowing that their team would soon claim the title. Bellingham had led them to this point, with a debut season unmatched since Alfredo Di Stéfano’s. This was just the latest chapter in his remarkable story.

El Clásico, shaped by the midweek drama in Europe, belonged to Madrid—and with it, the title. It hadn’t been easy, and 16-year-old Lamine Yamal might have been the best player on the pitch, but Bellingham had willed the victory into existence. Even when a draw would have sufficed, he pushed his team forward, earning them a dramatic late win. What a week it had been—first, a victory over Manchester City that kept another European Cup in sight, and now a triumph over Barcelona. This was vintage Real Madrid. Twice trailing, they fought back, and just when the clock froze at 90 minutes on the stadium’s giant new scoreboards, Bellingham emerged—as if by sheer willpower—to deliver the win.

It was a wonder they could still stand, let alone run. Madrid carried the physical toll of their grueling shootout win against Manchester City but rode the euphoria of another extraordinary European night. Barcelona, on the other hand, were burdened by the emotional weight of their elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, with tensions boiling over after Ilkay Gündogan seemed to call out Ronald Araujo in the aftermath of that painful defeat. “We have to turn all the anger, frustration and impotence in our favour,” Xavi had said.

It would be an exaggeration to say that Barcelona dominated, and in the end, they were defeated, deepening their pain. Yet the first critical moment broke away from the European script. Where Manchester City had racked up 18 corners without success in midweek, 

Barcelona capitalized on their first attempt. Just six minutes in, a whipped corner found Andriy Lunin, who misjudged the ball, allowing Andreas Christensen to head into an open goal, giving Barcelona an early lead. Buoyed by this, Barcelona continued to cause havoc with their next three corners, each turning into a mini-crisis for Madrid’s defense.

However, the lead didn’t last long; this time, there were echoes of the midweek games. João Cancelo, who had given away a penalty in Europe, was at fault again. He allowed Lucas Vázquez to slip by and into the box, where Pau Cubarsí’s outstretched leg brought him down. Vázquez cleverly earned the penalty, and Vinícius Júnior became the first player in almost 600 La Liga minutes to beat Marc-André ter Stegen from the spot.

The match was chaotic, lacking control, but filled with moments of brilliance. Lamine Yamal, in particular, stood out. He burst past Eduardo Camavinga only to be denied by Lunin, forced a corner that Robert Lewandowski nearly headed in, and came close to scoring himself with a clever flick cleared by Lunin. It seemed like the ball had crossed the line for a moment, but without goal-line technology in Spain, 2 minutes and 36 seconds passed with no decision, and no goal was given. Still, Yamal continued to torment Camavinga, who resorted to fouling him twice to keep up.

At the other end, Jude Bellingham stole the ball from Christensen, setting up a chance for Vinícius and Rodrygo, who squandered the opportunity just before halftime. After the break, Bellingham sent Vinícius through again, only for the Brazilian to fire over. Though Bellingham was increasingly asserting his influence, it was Barcelona, desperate for a win, who found the next goal.

Marc-André ter Stegen quickly launched a long throw to João Félix, who set substitute Ferran Torres racing clear. Chased by Eduardo Camavinga, Torres made it to the six-yard box, but his shot slipped past Lunin and the post. Barcelona didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity, though. Lamine Yamal sent a curling cross into the six-yard box, where Torres leaped in front of Lunin, who could only push the ball out, allowing Fermín López to pounce and finish.

But once again, the lead was short-lived. Vinícius Júnior delivered a brilliant cross into the box, which evaded four Barcelona defenders, with João Cancelo the weak link. Lucas Vázquez timed his run perfectly, meeting the ball on the bounce to smash it home with a first-time finish. 

Vinícius had a chance to make it 3-2 moments later, sprinting up the left flank, but Ter Stegen stopped him. Soon after, Vinícius was reluctantly substituted, missing his chance for another impact.

Real Madrid, however, still needed to be finished. The first opportunity fell to Joselu after Brahim Díaz’s surging run and another effort from Vázquez. But the decisive moment came from Jude Bellingham—who else—as his season of heroics for Madrid came full circle, securing another critical moment in an unforgettable campaign.

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