Real Madrid climbed to the top of the LaLiga table after securing a disciplined 2-0 away victory over Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica. As previewed by SoftFootball ahead of kickoff, this was always expected to be a stern test, and it proved exactly that before Kylian Mbappé made the difference after the break.
The result, shared by the club’s official X account, lifts Los Blancos to 51 points, two clear of Barcelona, who still hold a game in hand. The opening half was tense and cagey, with both sides cancelling each other out through compact shape and aggressive pressing.
Villarreal enjoyed moments of width through Tajon Buchanan and Alberto Moleiro, but clear chances were scarce. Real Madrid’s best moment before the interval came when Arda Güler forced Luiz Júnior into a sharp save, while Vinícius Júnior flashed narrowly wide as the half drew to a close.
Madrid emerged sharper after the restart and were rewarded almost immediately. Two minutes into the second half, Vinícius Júnior’s cutback caused confusion in the Villarreal box, and Mbappé reacted quickest to a loose ball, finishing clinically to give the visitors the lead.
From that moment, confidence flowed through Álvaro Arbeloa’s side, who managed the tempo well despite Villarreal’s attempts to respond from set pieces. Villarreal pushed for an equaliser but struggled to test Thibaut Courtois, registering just one shot on target all evening.
Their frustration grew late on, and it was punished in stoppage time when Mbappé used his pace to burst into the area before being brought down by Alfonso Pedraza. With composure that reflected his growing authority, the French forward calmly chipped a Panenka-style penalty to seal the points.
The win was particularly impressive given Madrid’s absentees, with Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, and Trent Alexander-Arnold all unavailable. Raúl Asencio and Dean Huijsen stood firm in central defence, while Jude Bellingham controlled proceedings in midfield.
This victory follows Madrid’s emphatic Champions League success earlier in the week, also covered by SoftFootball, and underlines their strong momentum. Villarreal, meanwhile, suffer back-to-back league defeats for the first time in months and must regroup quickly to stay in the title conversation.
