Vinicius Junior fired a brilliant brace as Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 3-1 on Saturday, sending Los Blancos to the top of La Liga, two points ahead of Barcelona.
Kylian Mbappe added the third goal to seal the win, helping Madrid bounce back strongly after last week’s 5-2 derby loss to Atletico Madrid.
Fresh from a long Champions League trip to Kazakhstan, Madrid started slowly but dominated most of the match at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Early in the second half, Vinicius broke the deadlock when his shot deflected off Santi Comesaña and beat goalkeeper Arnau Tenas. Minutes later, the Brazilian added his second from the penalty spot after Rafa Marín fouled him in the box.
Villarreal’s Georges Mikautadze pulled one back with a sharp finish, but their momentum ended when Santiago Mourino received a second yellow card for fouling Vinicius.
Madrid quickly regained control. Brahim Diaz set up Mbappé, who scored his ninth league goal of the season to become La Liga’s top scorer.
Jude Bellingham, benched again after the Atletico defeat, came close to scoring but was denied twice by Tenas. Apart from a late knock to Mbappé, Madrid’s display was near flawless.
“I want to keep this confidence and do even more,” Vinicius said after the match.
Villarreal’s Comesaña later criticized the referee, arguing that both Madrid’s first goal and penalty were unfairly awarded.
