Mbappe's Brace Lifts Real Madrid to La Liga Summit; Osasuna End Away Drought

Kylian Mbappe scored a second-half brace to lead Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Villarreal, sending them to the top of the La Liga table. Osasuna ended their away jinx with a 3-1 win at Rayo Vallecano, inspired by a late surge from Victor Munoz. Sevilla edged Athletic Club Bilbao 2-1 thanks to a Akor Adams penalty, while Valencia needed a 94th-minute spot-kick from Largie Ramazani to beat Espanyol 3-2. Levante also secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Elche with a 96th-minute winner from Alan Matturro.

Key Points: La Liga: Real Madrid Top After Mbappe Double, Osasuna Win Away

  • Real Madrid go top with 2-0 win
  • Mbappe scores second-half brace
  • Osasuna get first away victory of season
  • Late drama in Valencia and Levante wins
2 min read

La Liga: Mbappe's brace take Real Madrid on top; Osasuna end away jinx

Kylian Mbappe scores twice as Real Madrid beat Villarreal to go top. Osasuna claim first away win, Sevilla and Valencia secure late victories.

"His 91st-minute shot was deflected in... to finish a counter-attack. - Xinhua report on Osasuna's win"

Madrid, Jan 25

Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga with a 2-0 away win over third-placed Villarreal.

Kylian Mbappe scored both goals in the second half, opening the scoring after Villarreal failed to deal with a cross from Vinicius Jr. before converting a penalty deep into stoppage time after being fouled.

The first half failed to live up to expectations, but Real Madrid was the better side as Villarreal once again struggled against one of Spain's "big three" (Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona).

Atletico can extend the lead in third with a home win over Mallorca on Sunday.FC Barcelona is also in action on Sunday and would return on the top with a win at home against bottom-side Oviedo, reports Xinhua.

Osasuna claimed its first away win of the season with a 3-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano, who lacked presence in attack. Ante Budimir reacted smartly to put Osasuna ahead in the first half and, although Pathe Ciss headed an equalizer in the 59th minute, Victor Munoz inspired Osasuna's late surge. His 91st-minute shot was deflected in by Jozhua Vertrouwd, and Asier Osambela slotted home the third goal three minutes later to finish a counter-attack.

Akor Adams' 56th-minute penalty gave Sevilla a 2-1 home win over Athletic Club Bilbao, who looked flat after Wednesday's Champions League win away to Atalanta.Robert Navarro had put Athletic ahead from close range in the 40th minute, but Peque leveled just two minutes later, and a handball by Yuri Berchiche allowed Adams to beat Unai Simon from the penalty spot.

Largie Ramazani's 94th-minute penalty gave Valencia a second straight win with a 3-2 home victory over Espanyol.Hugo Duro and Eray Comert twice put Valencia ahead, but Ramon Terrats' close-range finish and Copete's unfortunate own goal looked to have salvaged a point for Espanyol before Ruben Sanchez's clumsy foul on Ramazani gifted the hosts the win.

There was late drama on Friday night as Levante snatched a 3-2 win at home against Elche, who thought they had taken a draw after Adam Boyar's spectacular 92nd-minute overhead kick.

Alvaro Rodriguez put Elche ahead, before goals from Pablo Martinez and Adrian de la Fuente made it 2-1 for Levante, who then snatched victory in the 96th minute thanks to Alan Matturro's near-post flick from a last-gasp corner.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Good win for Madrid, but Villarreal's performance against the big teams is becoming a real concern. They have a talented squad but seem to lack belief. On another note, thrilled for Osasuna finally getting that away win! Must be a huge relief for their fans.
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Rohit P
The late drama in La Liga is insane this season! Levante winning in the 96th minute after Elche's 92nd-minute equalizer... reminds me of some last-over finishes in the IPL! 😂 Football never fails to deliver excitement.
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Sarah B
Respectfully, while the focus is on the big stars, I feel the article glosses over the refereeing. That penalty for Valencia in the 94th minute seemed very soft. Consistency in officiating is a problem in all leagues, not just here.
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Vikram M
Barcelona play tomorrow. The title race is so tight! As an Indian fan who follows both cricket and football, the tension in La Liga is like a Test match going into the fifth day. Can't wait for Sunday's matches.
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Karthik V
Athletic Bilbao looked so tired after their European game. It shows how tough the schedule is for teams not used to playing midweek. Sevilla took full advantage. Good three points for them.

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