The Clásico came 24 hours before the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, where both players are among the contenders. Last month, Yamal said he and Mbappé were the two best players in the world. On Sunday, it was Mbappé who made the difference, scoring both of Madrid’s goals.
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A night of missed chances
Yamal had a glaring chance to equalise in the first half, shortly after Madrid went ahead, but scuffed his shot wide. In the second half, one effort drifted narrowly wide and another struck Dean Huijsen in the face.
According to Opta, he finished with five shots worth a team-high 0.51 expected goals, but didn’t hit the target with any of them. He also failed to create a single chance and completed 76.6% of his passes, 47 out of 76.
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A costly night for Barcelona
The defeat ended Barcelona’s perfect start to the league season and cut their lead over Madrid to three points. It was also their second loss in a row, after Tuesday’s 4-2 defeat to PSG in the Champions League.
It was Yamal’s first Clásico since January, after he missed May’s title-clinching win through injury. He goes into Monday’s ceremony as one of the leading contenders, but the last word before the result went to Mbappé.
Photo: David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images
