Real Madrid needed a response after last week’s shock defeat to Real Betis, and they delivered one in style. Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Los Blancos beat Rayo Vallecano 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night.
Three goals inside the first half suggested a routine evening. What followed after the break told a slightly different story.
A Dominant First Half
Real Madrid wasted no time asserting control. In just the 10th minute, Florian Lejeune’s clumsy challenge on Alvaro Carreras gifted the hosts a penalty, and Kylian Mbappe stepped up to calmly slot it home. Barely seven minutes later, Rayo’s defence fell apart again Lejeune under hitting a backpass straight into Vinicius Junior’s path, who squared it for Carreras to double the lead.
Jude Bellingham added a third before halftime, finishing off a slick move after Vinicius picked him out on the edge of the box. Mbappe nearly grabbed a second of his own too, striking the post late in the half. By the interval, Real Madrid looked utterly in control, cruising toward what seemed destined to be a comfortable rout.
Rayo Vallecano’s Second-Half Fightback
Whatever Rayo Vallecano’s manager said at halftime clearly worked. The visitors came out with far more purpose after the break, creating genuine problems for a Madrid side that suddenly looked less sharp. Pedro Diaz rattled the post with a stinging drive that had Thibaut Courtois beaten all ends up.
Then came the goal Rayo deserved. Sergio Camello pounced on a mix-up between Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior, toe poking the ball past Courtois to make it 3-1. Suddenly, a comfortable Real Madrid evening had a nervous edge to it. Lejeune tested Courtois again with a long range effort, and Giorgi Tsitaishvili somehow headed over from close range when a goal looked far more likely.
Mourinho reacted by bringing on Marc Cucurella for Vinicius with the game still finely poised at 3-1. He later explained his reasoning bluntly. “When it’s 3-1 with five minutes to play, you have a very powerful full back at Rayo who is capable of creating danger,” he said, adding that it “seemed better to me to close the door” defensively rather than chase further goals.
What Mourinho Said Afterward
Despite the scoreline, Jose Mourinho was not entirely satisfied with his team’s overall performance, particularly given how many chances went unconverted throughout the match. “We are scoring a lot, but we are also failing a lot of occasions,” he told reporters afterward, half joking that “someday, some poor team will pay for all these occasions we have failed.”
He also had praise for substitute Arda Guler, who came on to help stabilize Real Madrid‘s play during Rayo’s second half . “Arda has a very positive influence on the team’s play,” Mourinho said, noting that his introduction “made all the difference in terms of the stability of our play” once things got shaky after the break.
Where This Leaves the LaLiga Table
Individual milestones added some extra shine to the result too. Mbappe’s brace took his tally to 22 league goals already this season, continuing his remarkable scoring form under Mourinho. Real Madrid have now scored 14 goals at home already this season, a number that highlights just how potent their attack has looked in front of their own fans.
Historically, this fixture has rarely been competitive. Real Madrid now hold 32 wins from 44 league meetings against Rayo Vallecano, with the Vallecanos managing only six victories across that entire span.
With this win, Real Madrid keep pace near the top of LaLiga, staying firmly in the title conversation alongside Barcelona following their own big win this same weekend. For Rayo Vallecano, the second half performance offered genuine positives despite the defeat, showing a side capable of testing even the league’s biggest names when they raise their intensity. Whether that fight translates into results against less daunting opposition will likely define how their season shapes up from here.
