Vinícius Júnior Leads Real Madrid Past Villarreal to Return to the Top of La Liga
Real Madrid bounced back in style from their derby defeat with a 3-1 victory over Villarreal this Saturday (4) at the Santiago Bernabéu, reclaiming the provisional lead in La Liga with 21 points, two clear of FC Barcelona, who play on Sunday against Sevilla.
Vinícius Júnior the Star at the Bernabéu
After a goalless first half, Vinícius Júnior broke the deadlock just two minutes after the restart (47’), calmly finishing after a well-worked move. The Brazilian doubled his tally in the 69th minute, converting from the penalty spot to give Madrid a two-goal cushion and reach five goals in the league.
Villarreal Fights Back but Mbappé Seals It
Villarreal briefly came back into the match when Georges Mikautadze found the net in the 73rd minute. However, a red card to Santiago Mouriño soon after left the visitors exposed. In the 81st minute, Kylian Mbappé capitalized on Madrid’s numerical advantage, firing home to make it 3-1 and secure the win.
Key Stats and Standings
- Real Madrid: 21 points, 7 wins in 8 matches
- Vinícius Júnior: 2 goals, 1 penalty converted
- Mbappé: 5th goal of the season
- Villarreal: Remains 3rd with 16 points, but at risk of dropping after Sunday’s matches
Around La Liga
Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao defeated bottom side Mallorca 2-1 at San Mamés. Iñaki Williams opened the scoring from the penalty spot (9’), and Alejandro Rego sealed the win in the 82nd minute. Samu Costa netted Mallorca’s lone goal (77’).
Girona, despite playing with 10 men, earned a strong result against Valencia, while Levante secured a 2-0 away win over Real Oviedo to continue their steady rise.
What’s Next
Real Madrid now turns attention to domestic competition before resuming the Champions League in January, facing Benfica in the final round of the group stage.
