Kylian Mbappe shone brightly as he scored two goals, leading Real Madrid to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Leganes. This match, held at the Santiago Bernabeu, saw Madrid level with Barcelona at the top of LaLiga. Despite being seen as an easy win for the defending champions, Leganes put up a strong fight, making it a challenging game.
The excitement kicked off when Mbappe converted a penalty in the 32nd minute, putting Madrid ahead. However, Leganes quickly responded after halftime. Valentin Rosier made a swift run down the right, crossing for Oscar Rodríguez. His shot was not well-hit, but Diego Garcia was there to push it into the net, leveling the score.
Leganes stunned the home crowd again just before halftime. Rosier intercepted the ball from Brahim Diaz and dashed down the center. He played a perfect pass to Rodríguez, who set up Dani Raba to score and give Leganes a surprising lead.
Despite the pressure from Leganes, Madrid regrouped in the second half. Jude Bellingham equalized by finishing off a rebound, and soon after, Mbappe scored again from a free kick, curling the ball around the wall and into the net. With this brace, Mbappe has now scored 22 goals in LaLiga, just one behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.
While Real Madrid celebrated their hard-fought win, Atletico Madrid struggled in their match against Espanyol, ending in a 1-1 draw. Atletico took the lead with a stunning volley from Cesar Azpilicueta, but Espanyol equalized with a penalty converted by Javi Puado. This result leaves Atletico six points behind the leaders, raising concerns about their title hopes as they have slipped in form recently.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak expressed frustration over the dropped points, emphasizing the need for consistency as the season progresses. With nine rounds left, the pressure is mounting on Atletico to turn their fortunes around, especially with a crucial Copa del Rey match against Barcelona on the horizon.
As the title race heats up, Real Madrid and Barcelona are neck and neck, while Atletico must regroup quickly to stay in contention.