Late winner proves that Bellingham is the Real deal

With a late strike by Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid took a huge step toward winning the Spanish league.

Bellingham, who has quickly become one of Madrid's most important players, following his transfer last year, likely sealed the title on Sunday by scoring a stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 victory over Barcelona in the final "Clasico "of the season.

Barcelona twice took the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, but Madrid rallied to win, providing itself with a comfortable 11-point cushion over its second-placed rival with six games to go.

Bellingham scored the winning goal from a difficult angle one minute into stoppage time with a left-foot strike into the top of the net after connecting with a cross toward the far post by Lucas Vazquez, who also set up an earlier goal for Vinicius Junior and scored one himself.

"He (Bellingham) hadn't scored in a while, but scored a goal that could be crucial for us winning the Spanish league," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said of the 20-year-old midfielder.

It's the first time he's found the net in his last six appearances for Madrid in all competitions. The England international had scored both goals for Madrid when it won 2-1 at Barcelona in the first league Clasico of the season.

It was the third straight win for Madrid over Barcelona this season. Madrid is unbeaten in 26 league games, since losing at Atletico Madrid in September.

"The title is a lot closer now. It was a vital match, we had to win it, and we did it," Ancelotti said. "It was an even game, against a strong opponent that was doing all it could to get back into the title race again."

The Clasico came four days after Madrid eliminated Manchester City on penalties at Etihad Stadium to advance to the Champions League semifinals. Barcelona had been eliminated a day earlier by Paris Saint-Germain after a loss at home, leaving the league as the Catalan team's only chance for a trophy this season.

Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, the hero for Madrid in the shootout against City, miscalculated a cross into the area, allowing Barcelona's first goal, and failed to fully clear a ball in front of the goal for Barca's second.

Barcelona, the defending league champion, came to the Spanish capital looking to revive its title chances and took an early lead with a header by Andreas Christensen six minutes into the match.

The hosts equalized with Vinicius converting an 18th-minute penalty kick, before Barcelona went ahead again with Fermin Lopez's goal from close range in the 69th. Vazquez, who was fouled after a run inside the area to prompt the penalty converted by Vinicius, evened the match again after receiving a cross from the Brazilian in the 73rd.

Vazquez was one of the changes made to the squad by Ancelotti after the match against City. He also used Luka Modric alongside Toni Kroos in midfield, and Aurelien Tchouameni in the defense.

Barcelona loudly complained about the penalty awarded to Madrid and wanted one for itself after a challenge on Lopez in the second half. It also complained over a potential goal in the first half, when it wasn't clear if the ball had crossed the goal line before Lunin batted it away. It took several moments before video review determined that it was not a goal.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, likely making his last Clasico appearance after saying he will leave the club at the end of the season, said his team played better and deserved to win.

"I said yesterday that I hoped the referee wouldn't make any mistakes, and that he would go unnoticed, but none of that happened," Xavi said. "It's a shame. It was not a fair result. Everyone saw it."

Xavi said that Barcelona would not give up on the league just yet, but recognized that it was all-but-over, and that Madrid had to be congratulated for its campaign.

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong left the field on a stretcher late in the first half after hurting his right leg in a clash with Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde.

The match was played in front of a star-studded crowd, which included tennis ace Novak Djokovic, former NFL star Tom Brady and actor Andy Garcia.

Agencies via Xinhua