Barcelona took a huge step on Sunday to securing the Spanish La Liga title with a 4-3 win over Real Madrid – despite Kylian Mbappe's hat trick in a mesmerizing "El Clasico" – and opened a seven-point lead over its second-placed rival with three games remaining.

Raphinha scored twice, while Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia added a goal each for Barcelona, which need two more points to secure their 28th league title.

The Catalan club trailed 2-0 after Mbappe scored in the fifth and 14th minutes at Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys. The hosts evened the game just over the half-hour mark, and went on to lead 4-2 at halftime in a sensational recovery.

Mbappe completed his hat trick in the 70th minute but Madrid wasn't able to come back in a likely fatal blow to its hopes of successfully defending their title.

Mbappe became the league's leading scorer with 27 goals, two more than Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, who did not play on Sunday.

Mbappe also became Madrid's highest scorer in a debut season with 39, surpassing the 37 scored by Ivan Zamorano in the 1992-93 campaign. Mbappe had already overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy (both 33 goals) and Brazil great Ronaldo (30).

It was another thrilling game involving Barcelona, which on Tuesday were eliminated by Inter Milan in extra time in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona lost to the Italians 7-6 on aggregate.

The Catalan club has won every game against Madrid this season. They had already won 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the first league game in October 2024, 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, and 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final last month.

"We have to celebrate the victory. I'm very happy for the whole club and the fans. The atmosphere is incredible, and I really appreciate it," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. "The job isn't finished yet. We need to be more consistent defensively, but with matches every three days it's very difficult to train."

Barcelona can clinch the title by winning at Espanyol on Thursday. They could already be champions by then if Madrid fails to beat Mallorca on Wednesday.

Barcelona will then host Villarreal and visit Athletic Bilbao in the final round.

"Every match will be tough, but we have the quality," said Flick, who is in his first season with Barcelona. "I believe we can do it."

The result virtually ended Madrid's chances of winning the league, with their hopes shifting to the FIFA Club World Cup, starting next month. Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup at the start of the season.