Real Madrid claimed an eighth successive home win in LaLiga and moved back to the top of the table with a 3-1 victory over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabéu, Softfootball reports.
Xabi Alonso’s men came into the contest under some pressure after last weekend’s humiliating 5-2 derby defeat against Atlético Madrid, a loss that exposed the team’s defensive loopholes and briefly knocked Los Blancos off their stride in the title race.
A response was demanded, and Madrid got it in midweek with a ruthless 5-0 dismantling of Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League, restoring confidence ahead of Villarreal’s visit. That momentum carried into the early stages, as Arda Güler rifled over following a neat one-two with Kylian Mbappé, while Aurélien Tchouaméni and Franco Mastantuono both went close as Madrid dominated possession.
The Yellow Submarine nearly stunned the Bernabéu when Tani Oluwaseyi broke through on goal, but Thibaut Courtois stood tall to deny him. Mastantuono then went close at the other end with a scuffed effort inches wide, keeping the match finely balanced at the break.
It took just two minutes after the restart for Madrid to find the breakthrough. Vinícius Júnior cut in from the left in trademark fashion and his shot deflected off Santi Comesaña, wrong-footing Arnau Tenas. Minutes later, the Brazilian doubled his tally from the penalty spot after drawing a foul in the box, squirming the ball past Tenas for his fourth goal in as many league with Villarreal.
Madrid looked to be in cruise control, but Georges Mikautadze’s thunderous strike halved the deficit and briefly reignited Villarreal’s hopes. Those were quickly dashed when Santiago Mouriño was dismissed for a second yellow card after barging Vinícius. With the visitors down to 10 men, Mbappé sealed the victory in the 81st minute, slotting home after slick link-up play with Brahim Díaz to notch his 14th goal in just 10 games this season.
It was with zero doubt that Vinicius jr today played his best game for the los blancos this season, this performance earned him the man of the match award, and also Real Madrid via its official X handle, shared a post match video showing Vinicius jr thanking Madrid fans for their support ,and being happy with the goals he scored and the team’s victory, watch video below;
The win, coming after the Kairat thrashing and in stark contrast to the derby collapse, extended Madrid’s unbeaten run against Villarreal to five matches and ensured Alonso’s men returned to the top of the LaLiga standings. Villarreal, meanwhile, saw their three-game league winning streak brought to a stop.
