Actual Madrid climbed to the highest of the LaLiga desk after securing a disciplined 2-0 away victory over Villarreal on the Estadio de la Cerámica. As previewed by SoftFootball forward of kickoff, this was at all times anticipated to be a stern take a look at, and it proved precisely that earlier than Kylian Mbappé made the distinction after the break.
The end result, shared by the membership’s official X account, lifts Los Blancos to 51 factors, two away from Barcelona, who nonetheless maintain a sport in hand. The opening half was tense and cagey, with each side cancelling one another out by means of compact form and aggressive urgent.
Villarreal loved moments of width by means of Tajon Buchanan and Alberto Moleiro, however clear possibilities had been scarce. Actual Madrid’s greatest second earlier than the interval got here when Arda Güler compelled Luiz Júnior into a pointy save, whereas Vinícius Júnior flashed narrowly broad because the half drew to an in depth.
Madrid emerged sharper after the restart and had been rewarded nearly instantly. Two minutes into the second half, Vinícius Júnior’s cutback triggered confusion within the Villarreal field, and Mbappé reacted quickest to a free ball, ending clinically to offer the guests the lead.
From that second, confidence flowed by means of Álvaro Arbeloa’s facet, who managed the tempo effectively regardless of Villarreal’s makes an attempt to reply from set items. Villarreal pushed for an equaliser however struggled to check Thibaut Courtois, registering only one shot on course all night.
Their frustration grew late on, and it was punished in stoppage time when Mbappé used his tempo to burst into the world earlier than being introduced down by Alfonso Pedraza. With composure that mirrored his rising authority, the French ahead calmly chipped a Panenka-style penalty to seal the factors.
The win was notably spectacular given Madrid’s absentees, with Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, and Trent Alexander-Arnold all unavailable. Raúl Asencio and Dean Huijsen stood agency in central defence, whereas Jude Bellingham managed proceedings in midfield.
This victory follows Madrid’s emphatic Champions League success earlier within the week, additionally coated by SoftFootball, and underlines their sturdy momentum. Villarreal, in the meantime, undergo back-to-back league defeats for the primary time in months and should regroup shortly to remain within the title dialog.
