Mbappe Brace Seals Real Madrid’s 2-1 Victory Over Villarreal

Kylian Mbappe moved provisionally top of the LaLiga rankings and scored twice to assist Real Madrid battle back to beat Villarreal 2-1 on Saturday. Alex Baena’s corner was deflected by Aurelien Tchouameni, allowing Juan Foyth to score from close range as the hosts opened the seventh minute score.

Ten minutes later Real Madrid levelled when Mbappe pounced on Brahim Diaz’s blocked shot and the ball dropped close-range at his feet. Six minutes later the French international latching on Lucas Vazquez’s through ball and slotting in scored his 20th league goal of the season.

When Mbappe pounced on Vinicius Jr’s through ball in the second half, he had a chance to complete his hat-trick; but, the offside flag was raised. Referring to Wednesday’s arduous Champions League shootout victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid, coach Carlo Ancelotti remarked, “It’s the last time we’ll play a game with less than 72 hours’ rest.”

Real top the league on 60 points; three clear of second-placed Barcelona, who have a game in hand following their Osasuna match postponed last week, and face third-placed Atletico on Sunday.