Spanish champions Real Madrid secured a 2-0 victory over Getafe on Sunday, moving into second place in La Liga, with Kylian Mbappe among the scorers.
The French forward, who has faced criticism for his recent form, responded with a solid performance. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with a penalty after Antonio Rudiger was fouled in the box by Allan Nyom. Bellingham’s strike was his third goal in as many league games.
Mbappe then doubled Madrid’s advantage seven minutes before the break with a stunning finish. After Bellingham laid the ball off to him on the left, Mbappe cut inside and curled a low shot past Getafe goalkeeper David Soria to make it 2-0, notching his eighth league goal of the season.
Despite missing a penalty against Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday, Mbappe was clinical in this instance. His display, however, was not without frustration. He squandered three more significant chances to extend Madrid’s lead. Early in the second half, he played a brilliant chipped pass to Brahim Diaz, but Diaz’s shot narrowly missed the target. Mbappe himself came agonizingly close to scoring again, rounding Soria only to fire just wide of the far post.
Soria was called into action again, saving a powerful effort from Fede Valverde as Getafe worked hard to keep the scoreline respectable. Despite missing several more opportunities, including one in stoppage time from close range, Mbappe’s earlier goal remained the highlight of his performance.
Getafe’s best chance came when John Patrick unleashed a powerful shot that struck the crossbar and then the post, but Madrid were rarely threatened. Ancelotti’s side now sit just one point behind league leaders Barcelona, who suffered a surprise home defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday.
Madrid have played one fewer match than Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, who are third and only one point behind. Next up for Real Madrid is a midweek clash against Athletic Bilbao as they look to extend their winning run to four La Liga games.
