MADRID
\nKylian Mbappe struck twice to help Real Madrid smash Rayo Vallecano 4-1 on Saturday to pull level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Jose Mourinho\u2019s side got back to winning ways after a defeat by Real Betis in their previous top-flight outing, with a convincing victory against neighbours Rayo.
\nJude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras were also on target for Real Madrid, while Sergio Camello pulled one back for the visitors early in the second half. Champions Barcelona visit Levante on Sunday looking to extend their 100 percent start to the campaign and restore their lead on Madrid. Mourinho\u2019s side took a commanding three-goal lead against Rayo by half-time.
\n\u201c(It was) fundamental to win, above all after losing the last game in La Liga,\u201d Mourinho told Real Madrid TV. \u201cWe killed the game in the first half \u2014 that\u2019s not easy, working like we did after the Champions League game, not just physically, but mentally.\u201d Los Blancos took the lead from the penalty spot in the 14th minute after Florian Lejeune clumsily felled Carreras. Mbappe sent Rayo goalkeeper Emil Audero the wrong way.
\nThe French forward helped create the second, after Lejeune gave the ball away under pressure from Vinicius Junior. Carreras exchanged passes with Mbappe and drilled home. Handed a first start for Madrid, the club\u2019s record signing Yan Diomande cut inside from the right flank with a rapid dribble that left Rayo\u2019s defence scrambling but lashed his shot high and wide.
\nBellingham notched Madrid\u2019s third goal and his third of the season after Vinicius charged down the left and cut the ball back for the England international, who has started the season in top form. Mourinho defended Vinicius in midweek after some Madrid supporters whistled him in the Champions League win over Inter Milan.
\nMbappe powered a strike from distance against the post as Madrid sought a fourth, while Pedro Diaz forced a rare save from Thibaut Courtois at the other end, the Belgian with a strong hand to push away his effort. Diaz hit the post early in the second half as Rayo tried to find a foothold at the Santiago Bernabeu.
\nMbappe, who stated his case for why he should win the Ballon d\u2019Or this week, almost added a second with a low drive. Rayo pulled one back in the 51st minute when Vinicius gave the ball away to Camello under pressure and the forward poked past Courtois. It was the Spanish forward\u2019s sixth goal of the campaign, making him joint-top scorer with Barcelona\u2019s Raphinha and Mbappe.
\nBenat San Jose\u2019s side, 15th, had further chances to score but Courtois pushed out Giorgi Tsitaishvili\u2019s drive and an effort from Lejeune. Mourinho brought on Turkish midfielder Arda Guler to help regain some control. \u201cArda is very good, he\u2019s got a lot of quality, he influences the team\u2019s play in a good way and today he made a difference in terms of the stability of the game,\u201d said Mourinho.
\nGuler helped create Madrid\u2019s fourth for Mbappe in stoppage time, lethally finished low and across goal. It was Mbappe\u2019s seventh goal of the season across all competitions. \u201cConceding the (early) penalty was a blow, then we had another mistake when bringing the ball out,\u201d said Rayo coach San Jose.
\n\u201cI think we could have scored in the first half too, but it\u2019s true that they were better… \u201cWe have to congratulate Madrid, but I\u2019m proud of the players because the second half was much better.\u201d
\nOn Tuesday Real Madrid travel to face Elche, while Rayo Vallecano host Espanyol. Earlier on Saturday, Racing Santander defeated third-place Alaves 2-1, while Espanyol won 2-0 at Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 at home against Elche.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MADRID Kylian Mbappe struck twice to help Real Madrid smash Rayo Vallecano 4-1 on Saturday to pull level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Jose Mourinho\u2019s side got back to winning ways after a defeat by Real Betis in their previous top-flight outing, with a convincing victory against neighbours Rayo. Jude Bellingham and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-567110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n