Real Madrid and Barcelona competed in the El Clasico on Saturday, and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham scored an incredible long-range goal to tie the game.
In his El Clasico debut for Real Madrid against Barcelona, substitute Jude Bellingham scored a spectacular long-range goal.
The Englishman, who has scored 12 times in 13 games for Los Blancos, scored a spectacular strike from 30 yards out that Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen got fingers on but couldn’t keep out.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team had been playing poorly all game and were already down a goal to Ilkay Gundogan’s early opener for the Catalan side at the Monjuic stadium (Barca’s temporary site this season owing to ongoing construction at the Camp Nou).
The home team was missing a number of key players, notably midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, and Oriol Romeu was inexplicably left off the roster. While others, like Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde, were just good for the bench.
Real Madrid were at full strength (excluding Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao, both of whom are sidelined for the season) but still came up on the losing end of a first-half rout by Barcelona. In just the sixth minute, Gundogan scored his first goal for the club to finally break the stalemate.
Gundogan took advantage of David Alaba’s inability to clear the ball and scored after the German international attempted to create a one-two with Ferran Torres and Aurelien Tchouameni got a touch to intercept the move, but it merely redirected the ball towards goal.
With goals against Bayern Munich and Manchester United for Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, respectively, Gundogan has now scored in Der Klassiker, the Manchester derby, and El Clasico. Gundogan, at 33 years and 4 days old, is the second-oldest Blaugrana scorer in this century’s matchup versus their fiercest rivals, surpassing Sergio Aguero by 144 days.
Neither team had another attempt on goal for the rest of the half, but Barca had the better opportunities. Joao Felix had a breakaway on goal, but Real Madrid captain and first-half MVP Dani Carvajal made a save.
Fullback Carvajal’s tight-angle attempt and Antonio Rudiger’s long-range effort were the visitors’ only two shots on goal, and Ter Stegen handled both of them well. Ancelotti’s displeasure with his team was palpable throughout, and at one point he even asked Jude Bellingham to switch positions with him from left midfield to the center.
Although Madrid improved after the break, it was the home team that had the best chance to score again, with Inigo Martinez’s header hitting the post and Ronald Araujo’s rebound being saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Tchouameni followed suit for Madrid, but Ter Stegen palmed away his long-range attempt.
Minutes later, the German goalie was helpless to prevent Bellingham’s goal, which came on a fantastic long-range strike from the midfielder after the home team gave him too much time on the ball.
