Real Madrid win with Mbappé brace, end the day as sole La Liga leaders | OneFootball

Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 2-0 at the Estadio de la Cerámica this Saturday, the 24th, on matchday 21 of LaLiga 2025/2026. With this victory, they climb, at least for now, to the top of the table.

Álvaro Arbeloa’s team won thanks to a brace from Kylian Mbappé, the standout player on the pitch and the tournament’s top scorer.

The first shot on target came from Arda Güler, who in the 19th minute surged up the left, slipped between defenders, and once inside the box, fired a left-footed shot that Júnior handled confidently.

When the match was around the 20-minute mark, the Argentine defender made a bad movement with his left foot and immediately stopped, drawing the attention of the medical staff. He had to be substituted and there are concerns about a serious injury.

In the 26th minute, Kylian Mbappé linked up with Vinícius Júnior and struck powerfully from outside the box, forcing another good save from the Submarino Amarillo’s goalkeeper.

Madrid pressed high and forced a Villarreal turnover that Vinícius Júnior capitalized on: in the 39th minute, the Brazilian took the ball, moved from the edge of the box to the left, and, surrounded by home team players, unleashed a low shot that went just wide of the far post.

In the opening seconds of stoppage time, Villarreal caught Los Merengues out of position. Senegalese Pape Gueye surged forward with the ball and, facing an open defense, fired a left-footed shot that went just inches wide of the right post of Thibaut Courtois’ goal.

Just as the second half began, Mbappé showed his striker’s instinct and made it 1-0 for Madrid. Vinícius Júnior broke down the wing and reached the byline to send a cutback. Pape Gueye tried to intercept, the ball stayed alive and was left perfectly for Mbappé. The Frenchman licked his lips and struck with his left foot at the near post to open the scoring.

In the 56th minute, Dani Parejo sent a pass behind the visiting defense and Gerard Moreno, in a dangerous area, volleyed it first-time. However, his left-footed shot was off target, allowing Courtois to watch it go by without much risk.

Parejo and Moreno created Villarreal’s clearest chance. The home side’s number 10 took a free kick and surprised everyone with a low pass for the captain, who appeared inside the box in an almost unbeatable position. However, his left-footed shot, right in front of goal, went just over the bar.

Mbappé was close to scoring his second of the night in the 81st minute, when Camavinga played an excellent through ball for the Frenchman to chase into the box. However, the striker failed to control it and Marín arrived just in time to clear it for a corner.

Mbappé capped off the match with a stunning goal. In the 93rd minute, he converted a penalty for a foul he himself had drawn from Pedraza. Madrid’s number 10 ran up to the ball, stopped at the right moment, waited for the goalkeeper to dive to his right, and chipped the ball to make it a definitive 2-0.

Real Madrid reached 51 points, two more than Barcelona, who still have to play their match against Real Oviedo.

Los Merengues’ schedule continues on Wednesday with a crucial away match against Benfica, for the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase. On Sunday, February 1st, they will host Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.

For their part, the Submarino Amarillo will close their 2025-2026 Champions League campaign with a visit to Leverkusen, and on Saturday the 31st, also away, will play against Osasuna in another LaLiga fixture.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.