Vinicius Junior Explodes with Match-Winning Performance as Real Madrid Crush Villarreal
Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior spearheaded Real Madrid's commanding 3–1 triumph over Villarreal, temporarily propelling the Spanish powerhouse to the summit of La Liga before the October international hiatus.
Following three straight away fixtures, Real Madrid made their return to the Santiago Bernabéu to face Villarreal in a crucial clash for La Liga's top spot. Éder Militão was restored to strengthen Xabi Alonso's defensive line while Dani Ceballos earned an unexpected start ahead of Jude Bellingham in the center of the park.
The home side controlled the ball from kickoff, forcing the Yellow Submarine deep into their own territory as they probed for openings in Villarreal's organized defensive structure. Los Blancos created opportunity after opportunity during the opening 45 minutes, yet struggled to find the clinical finishing touch required to break the deadlock.
Among the dozen attempts Real Madrid directed toward Arnau Tenas, Aurélien Tchouaméni's close-range header represented their nearest miss, with the ball sailing narrowly past the upright in the 22nd minute.
However, Villarreal crafted the half's most dangerous moment. Tani Oluwaseyi sparked into action during a swift counter-attack, slipping between Dean Huijsen and Militão before racing past both center-backs toward Real Madrid's eighteen-yard box. The forward, bearing down on goal alone, watched his strike get denied by a spectacular diving save from Thibaut Courtois to maintain the stalemate.
Alonso's squad emerged from the interval with attacking intent, intensifying their assault on the visitors' defensive unit. Just three minutes were needed for Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior to combine for the match's opening strike.
The French superstar cleverly redirected a diagonal delivery from Militão, locating Vinícius Júnior with plenty of room down the left wing. The 25-year-old Brazilian weaved past Santiago Mouriño into the penalty area before unleashing a right-footed finish into the net, with the ball catching a deflection off Santi Comesaña en route.
Vinícius Júnior extended Real Madrid's advantage from twelve yards in the 69th minute. The Brazilian earned the spot-kick for Los Blancos through another electrifying surge into the area that prompted a reckless tackle from Rafa Marín.
Villarreal responded through Georges Mikautadze, but any revival hopes were crushed when Mouriño collected his second booking of the night. Reduced to ten players, the away team couldn't prevent Mbappé from wrapping up the contest with his 14th strike of the campaign.
Real Madrid claimed maximum points, successfully recovering from their disappointing Madrid derby loss the previous weekend. Alonso will nervously monitor Mbappé's condition, however, as the striker departed the field showing clear discomfort in the match's final moments.
Check out Real Madrid's player ratings from the match below.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Villarreal (4-2-3-1)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Position / Player | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 6.6 |
RB: Fede Valverde | 8.0 |
CB: Éder Militão | 7.0 |
CB: Dean Huijsen | 7.8 |
LB: Álvaro Carreras | 7.4 |
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni | 7.7 |
DM: Dani Ceballos | 7.4 |
RW: Franco Mastantuono | 6.8 |
AM: Arda Güler | 7.2 |
LW: Vinícius Júnior | 9.6 |
ST: Kylian Mbappé | 8.7 |
SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (64' for Ceballos) | 6.6 |
SUB: Jude Bellingham (64' for Güler) | 6.8 |
SUB: Brahim Díaz (80' for Mastantuono) | 7.0 |
SUB: Rodrygo (83' for Mbappé) | 8.3 |
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), David Alaba, Fran García, Raúl Asencio, Endrick, Gonzalo García.
Player of the Match: Vinícius Júnior
Villarreal (4-4-2): Arnau Tenas; Santiago Mouriño, Rafa Marín, Renato Veiga, Sergi Cardona; Tajon Buchanan, Santi Comesaña, Thomas Partey, Pape Gueye; Tani Oluwaseyi, Alberto Moleiro.
Subs: Georges Mikautadze, Nicolas Pépé, Alfonso Pedraza, Adrià Altimira, Dani Parejo.