Mbappe on target as Real cruise to Leganes win

LEGANES: Kylian Mbappe ended his goal drought with a close-range strike and midfielder Jude Bellingham scored a header as Real Madrid thrashed Leganes 3-0 on Sunday.

With a game in hand, Real are second in the standings on 30 points, four behind Barcelona.

Mbappe latched on to Vinicius Jr’s through ball and found the net after 10 minutes, but his celebration was short-lived as the goal was ruled out for offside.

Mbappe was goalless in his last four games in all competitions, his last goal coming in a win over Celta Vigo last month.

However, the former Paris St Germain striker netted his seventh league goal of the campaign after combining again with Vinicius to give Real the lead two minutes before the break following a Leganes defensive error that Bellingham capitalised on.

“We switched the position of the strikers a bit, with Mbappe on the outside and he did well,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti after the match.

Real enjoyed most of the possession in the second half, giving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, back in the squad after a muscle injury, little to do.

Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scored the second from a free kick with an unstoppable long-range effort after Bellingham had been fouled in the 66th minute.

The England international put the icing on the cake in the 85th minute when he headed home after the ball bounced off the crossbar.

“We were very comfortable in the first half, playing the game we wanted to, but (to concede) after a mistake... hurts more, it got away from us because of our errors,” admitted Leganes defender Sergio Gonzalez. “The team gave everything, and with the smallest opportunities, they punished us.”

VINICIUS OUT OF LIVERPOOL CLASH

Real visit Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday but will be without Vinicius, who sustained a leg muscle injury in the win at Leganes.

Spanish media reported the Brazilian winger is expected to miss almost a month, which would also keep him out of the Champions League visit to Atalanta on December 10, as well as Wednesday’s match at Anfield.

Champions League holders Real have started their European campaign in shaky form, with two defeats in their opening four matches.

They lost 1-0 at Lille and 3-1 at home against AC Milan in their last outing in the competition, leaving them 18th in the expanded group table and could be in trouble with a bad result at Anfield.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2024