It was necessary to get their heads straight after the road defeat against Atlético de Madrid last weekend (5-2), and the Merengues knew how to do it perfectly against Villarreal this Saturday in La Liga . A 3-1 victory, which allows them to approach this international break more calmly. Xabi Alonso's players had several opportunities to put themselves in cover from the first period, but they were too clumsy, or came across an Arnau Tenas on the alert.
Kylian Mbappé , who was always on his heels when defending against him, was feared by his opponents. It was the Frenchman who found Arda Güler, whose left-footed shot went wide early in the match (7'). Tchouameni also thought he had opened the scoring with a header from a Vinicius cross (22'), but it just missed the post. Then Mbappé embarked on another solo run. He was ultimately thwarted by his former teammate Arnau Tenas (20').
Mbappé scores in his last 9 matches... but is out injured
The facts confirmed the theory that the Frenchman was rediscovering his World Cup powers. It was him again who overflowed to find Mastantuono, whose left-footed shot was saved by Veiga (22nd). Two situations in quick succession, but the biggest was to be credited to Oluwaseyi. Found deep on the counterattack, he left Huijsen and Militao standing. Courtois made an exceptional save to keep his team alive (40th). In the second half, the introductions of Georges Mikautadze and the best player of the month in La Liga for August , Nicolas Pépé, finally coincided with the Merengues opening the scoring. Found by Mbappé in an off-center position, Vinicius Junior cut into the center, eliminated his opposite number and scored with the help of another defender (47th).
He scored twice from a penalty he had earned himself, and which Mbappé had been careful to leave for him (69th). Barely three minutes later, Georges Mikautadze reduced the deficit with a powerful shot from the edge of the box that beat Courtois (73rd). The visitors had opportunities, but did not always exploit them well. Camavinga, for his part, multiplied his interventions like a firefighter on duty. Villarreal would ultimately run to their doom after Mouriño was sent off, guilty of a blow to the face of Vinicius, who had made the difference on the left wing. The punishment arrived: Mbappé scored the second goal from a perfect cutback from Brahim (81st), confirming his insolent form at the moment: 13 goals in his last 9 matches. He finally came off, grimacing, at the very end of the match. While we wait to learn more about the Frenchman's injury, Real Madrid are provisionally leading La Liga (21 points). Barça could regain the lead if they win against Sevilla tomorrow.
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