Real Madrid went level with FC Barcelona at the summit of the La Liga after thrashing Rayo Vallecano in their La Liga fixture at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
Los Blancos used the fixture to emphatically silence critics after heightened scrutiny and criticism following their loss to Real Betis in their last La Liga fixture.
Kylian Mbappe was at the centre of the scintillating display and reinforced his bold claims as the outright favourite for the Ballon d’Or with another stellar attacking display for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid dominated proceedings from the get-go and raced to a three-goal lead within 35 minutes. Mbappe gave Madrid the lead via a spot kick before Alvaro Carreras got in on the action a few minutes later. English midfielder Jude Bellingham piled further misery on Vallecano a couple of minutes past the half-hour mark as Madrid took a convincing three-nil lead into the break. Rayo Vallecano pulled a goal back at the start of the second half before Mbappe added another goal for the home side later on.
Real Madrid mean business
Real Madrid started the match on a perfect note, and they were awarded a penalty when Alvaro Carreras was clattered down inside Rayo’s 18-yard box. Kylian Mbappe was handed spot-kick duties, and the Frenchman made no mistakes from the spot, burying the ball into the net calmly and sending the goalkeeper diving in the opposite direction in the 14th minute. Goalscorer turned provider three minutes later as Mbappe returned the favour to Carreras. Carreras’ quick exchange with Mbappe culminated with the Frenchman laying off the ball intelligently to Carreras to hammer it into the net from close range.
Mbappe became the first Madrid player to register a goal and an assist in the opening 17 minutes of a LaLiga match at the Bernabéu since James Rodríguez in January 2016. Jude Bellingham put clear daylight between Real Madrid and the visitors in the 35th minute, slamming Vinicius Jr’s cutback into the net to cap off a well-worked team move. Mourinho’s side were simply cruising.
Mbappe nearly completed his brace, but it wasn’t meant to be as his thunderous shot rattled the woodwork in the closing minutes of the first half.
Vallecano grab the consolation
Beñat San José’s half-time team talk seemingly worked wonders as Rayo came out flying on all cylinders after the break, and Sergio Camello pulled a goal back for Vallecano six minutes into the second half. Vinicius Jr was caught in possession, and the ball fell kindly to Camello in Madrid’s 18-yard box, who kept his cool and rolled it into the net. The Spanish forward has been in magnificent form for Rayo Vallecano this season, registering 7 goal involvements across 5 appearances. The away side grew into the game but couldn’t add to their goal tally.
The hosts get the job done
Kylian Mbappe put the icing on the cake for Real Madrid in the closing minutes of the game, smashing a fourth goal into the net from Arda Guler’s pass to round up a ruthless attacking display. This was another attacking masterclass from the Frenchman, who has been highlighting his Ballon d’Or credentials with a strong start to the season.
Jose Mourinho’s side have won four out of their last 5 La Liga games and are strong contenders for the Spanish top-flight title this season. They extended their run of total domination against their city rivals and have won 14 of their last 15 games against Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Barcelona have a game in hand against Levante on Sunday and will restore their three-point lead if they win the match. Over to you, Hansi Flick.
