Catalan domination as Barca complete quadruple over Real

Barcelona matched a 42-year-old record on Sunday by beating archrivals Real Madrid for the fourth time in a single season, securing a thrilling 4-2 victory at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Despite trailing 2-0 after just 15 minutes, courtesy of a brace from French forward Kylian Mbappe, Barcelona mounted an impressive comeback.

Raphinha netted twice, while Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia added a goal each to complete the turnaround. Mbappe scored another in the second-half to complete a hattrick -- making him the player with most goals in a debut season for Real (39 goals in 54 matches), surpassing Ivan Zamorano (37 goals in 1992/93) -- but could not snap Real's winless streak against Barca this season.

The win extended Barcelona's lead at the top of the La Liga table to seven points over second-placed Real Madrid, bringing them to the verge of clinching the title. They also boast a 16-7 margin on goal aggregate across all competitions over Real this season.

Sunday's win marked the fourth triumph for Hansi Flick's side over Real Madrid this season. The first came in October, when Barcelona hammered Real 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga. In January, they thumped Los Blancos 5-2 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah. And at the end of last month, they beat Carlo Ancelotti's men 3-2 in extra-time in Seville to lift the Copa del Rey trophy.

The last time Barcelona recorded four wins over Real Madrid in a single season was during the 1982–83 campaign. Although the Catalans finished fourth in La Liga that year, two places below Real, they held clear bragging rights, winning four of their five encounters against Los Blancos.

That season, Barcelona claimed a 2-0 away win and a 2-1 home victory over Real in the league. They went on to lift the Copa del Rey after a 2-1 triumph in Zaragoza. The teams also met in the final of the now-defunct Copa de la Liga. Following a 2-2 draw in Madrid, Barcelona sealed the title with a 2-1 home win.

The 1982–83 season was also notable for being Diego Maradona's debut campaign at Barcelona. Signed for a then-world record fee of €5 million from Boca Juniors, the Argentine legend quickly made his mark. Maradona scored 23 goals across all competitions, including 11 in La Liga, and was the club's top scorer. His performances against Real were impeccable, with four goals and five assists across their meetings.