Real Madrid put their loss to Betis behind them and returned to winning ways, defeating Rayo Vallecano 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Matchday 5 of La Liga.
The “Queen” came out strong and had already laid the groundwork for victory within just 35 minutes. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute from the penalty spot, followed three minutes later by Álvaro Carreras, who capitalized on the Frenchman’s assist to make it 2-0.
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The first half also featured a third goal for Real Madrid. In the 35th minute, Jude Bellingham found the back of the net off a pass from Vinícius Júnior, bringing the score to 3-0 and essentially sealing the victory early on.
Rayo tried to mount a comeback in the second half and managed to pull one back in the 51st minute through Sergio Camacho. The goal reignited the match, but José Mourinho’s team managed their lead and didn’t allow the visitors to truly get back into the game, scoring yet another goal through Mbappé in stoppage time for the final 4-1 score.
After the setback of the loss to Betis, the “Queen” bounced back, regained momentum, and continues on its path with Mbappé, Bellingham, and Vinícius as their key players.
With these three points, Real Madrid has reached 12 points and tied Barcelona at the top of the standings, now awaiting the Catalans’ result to see if they will remain tied with them for first place.
In earlier matches, Espanyol got off to a perfect start in Pamplona, as Roberto Fernández scored two goals within the first 17 minutes (3’, 17’) and laid the groundwork early for the eventual victory (0–2).
In the Basque Country, Athletic controlled the game for most of the match, created several chances, and finished with 19 shots on goal and 67% possession, but found themselves trailing in the 50th minute when Buonanotte scored from the penalty spot. The Basques’ response came in the 79th minute, with Iñaki Williams tying the game at 1–1 following an assist from Berenger. Elche, however, held on until the end and earned a valuable point at San Mamés.
Finally, in the first match of the day, Alavés took the lead in the 18th minute through Koski, but Santander responded before halftime, equalizing in the 38th minute with a goal by Zabiri. The same player completed the comeback in the 53rd minute, securing a 2-1 victory for the home team.
The schedule for Matchday 5:
Friday (9/11)
- Sevilla-Valencia 1-0
Saturday (September 12)
- Racing-Alavés 2-1
- Osasuna vs. Espanyol 0-2
- Athletic Bilbao vs. Elche 1-1
- Real Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano 4-1
Sunday (September 13)
- Celta Vigo vs. Málaga (3:00 p.m.)
- Levante vs. Barcelona (5:15 p.m.)
- Getafe vs. Deportivo (7:30 p.m.)
- Real Sociedad vs. Atlético Madrid (10:00 p.m.)
Monday (September 14)
- Villarreal vs. Real Betis (10:00 p.m.)
*Photo source: AP
