Barcelona hammer Real Madrid to win El Clasico for 1st time since 2019

Barcelona had lost five straight games to Real Madrid. They made sure there wouldn't be a sixth.

Powered by a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Blaugrana ran away with a memorable 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, their first victory in El Clasico since March 2019.

Aubameyang opened the scoring in the 29th minute before Ronald Araujo struck in the 38th. Ferran Torres' close-range effort made it 3-0 just after the interval, and Aubameyang converted again in the 51st minute.

And it could've been worse. Aubameyang and Torres each missed clear-cut chances to compound Madrid's misery in the second half.

In the end, Los Blancos conceded four goals at home in league play for the first time since November 2015. That was also in a 4-0 loss to Barcelona.

"We are back," Barcelona defender Gerard Pique tweeted immediately after the game.

Karim Benzema missed the match because of a calf injury, and his absence seemed to have a huge effect on the hosts. Vinicius Junior struggled up front, trying unsuccessfully to win a penalty with a clear dive toward the end of the first half. At halftime, Carlo Ancelotti could only turn to reserve forward Mariano Diaz, whose 127 minutes of playing time had ranked among the lowest in Madrid's squad this season.

Despite the heavy defeat, Madrid remain nine points clear atop the table. Barcelona sit in third place in La Liga, just three points behind second-placed Sevilla, with a game in hand.

Xavi's side is unbeaten in its last 12 matches across all competitions and has won five in a row in La Liga. That's thanks in part to Aubameyang's incredible impact: He's scored nine goals in 11 appearances thus far and has yet to lose since joining the club on a free transfer at the start of February.