Kylian Mbappe’s two goals helped Real Madrid secure a crucial 2-1 victory over Villarreal, taking them to the top of the La Liga table. The win moved Los Blancos three points ahead of Barcelona, though their rivals have played two fewer matches. Barcelona is set to face Atletico Madrid on Sunday in a key fixture that could impact the title race.
Despite concerns about the tight schedule following their intense Champions League match against Atletico Madrid just days earlier, Real Madrid managed to secure the win at Estadio de la Ceramica. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti decided to start Vinicius Junior on the bench, likely to give him some rest after the exhausting midweek clash.
Villarreal started the match strongly, testing Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois early on. Courtois made an impressive save to deny Ayoze Perez’s shot, but Villarreal quickly found the breakthrough. From the resulting corner, the ball fell to Juan Foyth, who reacted swiftly and smashed it into the net, giving the home side the lead.
However, Madrid responded quickly. In the 17th minute, Brahim Diaz attempted a lob, but Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Conde managed to stop it. The ball, however, fell kindly for Mbappe, who finished it with ease to bring Madrid level. Just moments later, Mbappe struck again. He played a key role in the build-up, spreading the ball to the right before Lucas Vazquez delivered a perfect pass into the box. The French forward made no mistake, calmly finishing to give Madrid the lead.
With his two goals, Mbappe reached 20 league goals for the season, putting him just one goal behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Golden Boot.
After taking the lead, Madrid focused on defense, with Courtois making a crucial save from Nicolas Pepe to maintain their advantage. At halftime, Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral made changes, bringing on Thierno Barry for Pepe as they looked to avoid their first home defeat to Madrid in La Liga since 2017.
Villarreal had a good chance to equalize early in the second half when Foyth found himself in a promising position but sent his volley over the crossbar. Ancelotti then introduced Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric to regain control of the match. Madrid had another opportunity to extend their lead, but Conde denied Fede Valverde’s attempt.
Villarreal pushed forward in search of an equalizer, with Ayoze Perez coming close after a sharp turn and powerful shot, but his effort went just over Courtois’ goal. In the end, Madrid held on to their lead, securing a hard-fought victory that keeps them in a strong position in the title race.
