Mbappe Scores Twice as Real Madrid Crush Rayo Vallecano 4-1

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid returned to winning ways with a 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, moving level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

Jose Mourinho’s side responded strongly to their previous league defeat by Real Betis, producing a dominant first-half performance at the Santiago Bernabeu. Jude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras were also on target for Madrid, while Sergio Camello scored for Rayo early in the second half.

Barcelona, the defending champions, travel to Levante on Sunday looking to maintain their perfect start to the season and regain sole possession of first place.

Madrid took control after 14 minutes when Florian Lejeune brought down Carreras inside the penalty area. Mbappe stepped up and calmly sent goalkeeper Emil Audero the wrong way from the spot.

The French forward then played a role in Madrid’s second goal after Lejeune lost possession under pressure from Vinicius Junior. Carreras exchanged passes with Mbappe before driving a low finish into the net.

Jude Bellingham added a third before the interval. Vinicius raced down the left before cutting the ball back to the England midfielder, who finished to register his third goal of the season.

Madrid could have extended their lead before half-time. Mbappe struck the post from distance, while Rayo’s Pedro Diaz forced Thibaut Courtois into a strong save.

Rayo improved after the break and Diaz hit the post before the visitors pulled a goal back in the 51st minute. Vinicius lost possession under pressure, allowing Camello to collect the ball and poke his shot beyond Courtois.

The goal was Camello’s sixth of the campaign, putting him level with Mbappe and Barcelona’s Raphinha among the league’s leading scorers.

Rayo created further opportunities, but Courtois denied Giorgi Tsitaishvili and Lejeune as Madrid worked to regain control. Mourinho introduced Arda Guler, who helped settle the midfield and restore Madrid’s authority.

“Arda is very good, he’s got a lot of quality, he influences the team’s play in a good way and today he made a difference in terms of the stability of the game,” Mourinho said.

Mbappe completed the scoring in stoppage time after Guler helped create the opportunity. The forward finished low across goal to claim his seventh goal of the season in all competitions.

Mourinho said securing victory was particularly important after the loss to Betis and praised the team’s first-half display.

Rayo coach Benat San Jose acknowledged Madrid’s superiority but said his team improved considerably after the interval.

Real Madrid travel to Elche on Tuesday, while Rayo Vallecano host Espanyol. Elsewhere, Racing Santander beat Alaves 2-1, Espanyol defeated Osasuna 2-0 and Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 with Elche.