October 05, (THEWILL) — Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu to move top of La Liga ahead of the October international break.
Éder Militão returned to the starting lineup whilst Dani Ceballos was preferred to Jude Bellingham in midfield. The hosts dominated possession from the opening whistle, creating 12 first-half chances without finding the breakthrough.
Aurélien Tchouaméni came closest before the interval when his close-range header drifted narrowly wide in the 22nd minute.
Villarreal’s best opportunity fell to Tani Oluwaseyi, who burst clear of the defence only to see Thibaut Courtois deny him with a diving save.
The sides went in level at half-time despite Madrid’s territorial advantage.
The breakthrough arrived three minutes after the restart when Mbappé flicked a diagonal pass from Militão to Vinícius Júnior, who drove past Santiago Mouriño and fired home via a deflection off Santi Comesaña.
The Brazilian doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Rafa Marín fouled him inside the area. Georges Mikautadze pulled one back for the visitors, but Mouriño’s second yellow card ended their hopes of a comeback.
Mbappé added a third goal to register his 14th of the season and seal all three points for the hosts. The Frenchman departed in visible discomfort during the closing stages, raising fitness concerns ahead of the international window.
Xabi Alonso will await medical updates on the striker’s condition following his late withdrawal from the match.
The victory allowed Madrid to bounce back from their Madrid derby defeat the previous weekend.
They sit atop the domestic standings following a clinical second-half performance that ultimately proved too strong for 10-man Villarreal.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
