There is an air of inevitability when a player is in peak form, to the point that their teams develop a very entertaining type of dependence on them. At the team's best, the player is merely the focal point in a harmonious system; otherwise, that player is almost resigned to the reality that they exist in large part to bail their team out of trouble. Barcelona felt like the best-case scenario before El Clasico after both Lamine Yamal and Raphinha got off to strong starts to their seasons, Tuesday's 4-2 loss at Paris Saint-Germain doing little to dampen their spirits. If anything, it was Real Madrid who have become overly reliant on Kylian Mbappe over the years, Sunday's game slated to be no exception.

Over the course of Real Madrid's 2-1 win at the Camp Nou, though, the roles had reversed.

Mbappe and Raphina were each on the scoresheet, neither feat much of a surprise considering each of their exploits this season. Early in his third season with the club, Mbappe notched his 99th and 100th Real Madrid goals on Sunday while Raphina registered his 13th goal in nine LaLiga games this campaign. Both showcased the inherent ability of a dependable superstar, each of them providing a unique snapshot of the teams they represent.

The France World Cup winner was the finishing piece of a team whose defensive efforts won them the game, neutralizing a Barcelona team that had won nine games out of nine to start the domestic campaign. The visitors opted to cede play to the possession-oriented hosts, holding the ball just 37.6% of the time in the process. Los Blancos also let the attack-minded Barcelona roll out Plan A, outshooting the visitors 18 to 10 along the way. Jose Mourinho's side were fully prepared for the challenge, their positional discipline designed to ensure their opponents would be unable to do much with all of their efforts. Hansi Flick's side registered just 1.19 expected goals from all their attempts, well below their average tally of 3.5 expected goals per game in LaLiga this campaign.

Yamal and Raphinha, as well as winger Anthony Gordon, had the ball at their feet on multiple occasions and looked certain to go for goal. They were often restricted to taking shots from sundial positions, Real Madrid's defensive shape holding nicely for much of the games. In the moments the Barcelona players' individual brilliance came through, a Real Madrid defender would find a way to shut things down before it was too late. Aurelien Tchouameni led the charge at the base of Los Blancos' midfield, excellent as the visitors resisted Barcelona's press and prevented them from racking up opportunities in moments of transition. He was hardly alone – Federico Valverde excelled at right back, while Marc Cucurella came in clutch on the flip side. Even Arda Guler and Yan Diomande maintained their standing in their wide attacking positions, limiting Barcelona's ability to create much despite racking up touches and passes.

It allowed Mbappe to pounce when the ball finally landed to him, even if he was less visible over the course of the 90 minutes than usual. He took just 36 touches and three shots, down from his average in LaLiga this season of 52.7 touches and 5.2 shots per game, but he is the exact type of player to survive a game state like this one. His first was a gift from Barcelona's back line while his second was a team effort, one that showcased his own brilliance as much as it did Eduardo Camavinga's abilities off the bench in maintaining Los Blancos' structure before notching the game-winning assist.

AN UNREAL TEAM MOVE FROM REAL MADRID ENDS WITH MBAPPE PUTTING THEM AHEAD LATE IN ELCLÁSICO!

A BRACE FOR MBAPPÉ 😱 pic.twitter.com/qkFvVPWulg

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 25, 2026

Mbappe exploited a Barcelona back line that had tried to turn over a new defensive leaf this season, perhaps haunted by the mistakes their aggressive high line has made since Flick took the job two years ago. Rodri, whose Golden Ball award goes hand-in-hand with Spain's World Cup win this year, is as well-positioned as any to be a one-man solution but he was unable to fix Sunday's problems by himself. The injuries to Barcelona's defense have not helped, another coming midway through the first half when left back Xavi Espart came off for Alejandro Balde, but Mbappe was not alone in getting the better of the hosts' back line. Jude Bellingham had his moments, while Guler played a key role in the build-up to Mbappe's first goal.

In the process, Real Madrid closed the gap atop LaLiga to three points and rebooted a title race that many were ready to call two months into the season. Unlike the 2023-24 team that picked up the team's last major title, they found a way to win on Sunday not on the back of excellent individuals who are living, breathing cheat codes. For the first time since Xabi Alonso's surprise dismissal in January, they notched a convincing win on the back of a strong gameplan and an even more impressive ability to execute it.

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