Real Madrid avoided the prospect of back-to-back La Liga defeats on Saturday, securing a crucial 3-1 home victory over a competitive Villarreal side. After a tense and goalless first half, the match was broken open by the individual brilliance of Vinícius Júnior, who scored twice in the second period before Kylian Mbappé added a third to seal the points.
The victory was a vital response from Xabi Alonso’s side after their humbling defeat in the Madrid derby and keeps their title challenge firmly on track.
A cagey first half
Real Madrid created very little in a frustrating first half, with their best chance falling to Aurelien Tchouameni, who headed wide. At the other end, Villarreal had a golden opportunity to take the lead when Tani Oluwaseyi ran through on goal, but he was denied by a signature one-on-one save from Thibaut Courtois.
Vinícius takes control
The game was transformed in the second half by Vinícius Júnior. He broke the deadlock with a wonderful piece of individual skill, darting past his defender before his deflected effort flew past the stranded goalkeeper. He doubled Madrid’s lead in the 69th minute, first winning a penalty and then confidently converting it to score his second of the night.
While Georges Mikautadze pulled a goal back for Villarreal to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes to play, Kylian Mbappé had the final say. The Frenchman played a tidy exchange with substitute Brahim Diaz before side-footing home to kill off any chance of a comeback. This was a vital victory for Real Madrid to restore confidence, demonstrating their reliance on the match-winning quality of their superstars.
Real Madrid player ratings
(Ratings provided by FotMob)
- GK: Thibaut Courtois – 6.6
- LB: Álvaro Carreras – 7.4
- CB: Dean Huijsen – 7.8
- CB: Éder Militão – 7.0
- RB: Franco Mastantuono – 6.8
- DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni – 7.7
- CM: Dani Ceballos – 7.4
- CM: Arda Güler – 7.2
- LW: Vinícius Júnior – 9.6
- ST: Kylian Mbappé – 8.7