Madrid, March 16, 2025 – The Europe Today: Kylian Mbappe scored twice in six minutes during the first half as Real Madrid staged a remarkable comeback to secure a 2-1 victory against Villarreal, extending their lead to three points over FC Barcelona at the top of La Liga on Saturday evening.
Real Madrid, playing less than 70 hours after their UEFA Champions League triumph over Atletico Madrid, showed signs of fatigue, but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois delivered an outstanding performance, making crucial saves to deny fifth-placed Villarreal.
Villarreal took an early lead in the seventh minute through Juan Foyth, who found the net from a corner. However, just 10 minutes later, Mbappe leveled the score by pouncing on a rebound after Brahim Diaz’s attempt was blocked. The French forward then sealed the win with a brilliant strike, curling the ball into the far corner after being given space to cut inside.
Despite Villarreal’s relentless efforts to equalize, Courtois remained resolute, keeping Madrid’s lead intact with several vital saves.
In another La Liga fixture, Vedat Muriqi’s own goal in the 53rd minute gave Espanyol an advantage against Mallorca, but Muriqi redeemed himself with a 97th-minute penalty, securing a dramatic 2-1 victory after Abdon Prats won a foul. Takuma Asano had previously equalized for Mallorca by heading in a corner from Sergi Darder in the 65th minute.
Meanwhile, Marcos Alonso converted an 83rd-minute penalty to secure Celta Vigo’s 1-0 win over Real Valladolid, pushing the latter closer to relegation.
On Friday night, Las Palmas staged an incredible comeback from 2-0 down, scoring twice in injury time to salvage a 2-2 draw against Deportivo Alaves in a tense relegation clash.
FC Barcelona is set to visit Atletico Madrid on Sunday in a highly anticipated encounter.
