Villarreal: Kylian Mbapp© scored twice to lead Real Madrid to a 2-1 comeback win at Villarreal and move three points clear atop the Spanish league.
According to Oman News Agency, Mbapp© scored in the 17th minute to cancel out Juan Foyth’s opener for the hosts, before the France striker put Madrid ahead for good six minutes later. His performance marked a significant turnaround from the scoring challenges he faced during his initial months at Madrid. With this brace at Villarreal, Mbapp©’s La Liga tally has reached 20 goals, just one short of Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. Since joining from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, he has racked up 31 goals in all competitions, as reported by the Spanish MARCA newspaper.
Barcelona trails Madrid by three points but has played two fewer games. Hansi Flick’s side visits third-placed Atletico Madrid, which is four points behind and still has a postponed game against Osasuna to play.
Villarreal put up a strong fight, attacking in waves with the help of Alex Baena and Nicolas Pepe, who created several scoring opportunities. Thibaut Courtois made three crucial saves for Madrid, denying Pepe, Ayoze P©rez, and Pape Gueye in the first half. However, Villarreal’s defense was unable to contain Mbapp©, who took advantage of the openings to secure the win for Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti opted to leave Vincius Jºnior and Antonio Rudiger on the bench until the final half hour, with Luka Modric joining in shortly after. This strategic rotation followed Madrid’s gruelling UEFA Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid, which extended to a penalty shootout.