Real Madrid 2-0 Levante: Mbappé and Asensio calm the Bernabéu's anger and revive the LaLiga fight

Álvaro Arbeloa celebrated his first victory as Real Madrid coach this Saturday against Levante (2-0). After the humiliating KO in the Copa del Rey against Albacete (3-2), the abrupt departure of Xabi Alonso, and the defeat in the Spanish Super Cup final against FC Barcelona (3-2), the 'Merengue' team returned to a Santiago Bernabéu that had become a cauldron to 'punish' their players and Florentino Pérez.

The rain of insults and whistles, with a handkerchief-waving included, was present from the warm-up and was much worse at halftime, after another lamentable first half from Madrid. Levante had several opportunities to open the scoring, mostly from set pieces, while the home team barely troubled the Granota goal with a deflected shot from Kylian Mbappé.

At halftime, Arbeloa brought on Arda Güler and Franco Mastantuono for Camavinga and Gonzalo, two changes that gave the 'Merengue' attack more fluidity in the second half. Finally, a penalty from Mbappé in the 58th minute and another header from Raúl Asencio in the 65th minute calmed the Bernabéu's anger with an uninspired, but sufficient victory to keep the fight for the LaLiga lead open.

Two set-piece goals finished off Levante at the Bernabéu

Levante held the zero without too much trouble in the first half, against a Madrid that was once again flat, predictable, and slow in transitions. The long passes from Asencio and Álvaro Carreras to Mbappé and Vinicius were the only weapon for the Whites to try to create danger.

Tchouaméni and Gonzalo were cautioned before halftime, victims of the impotence of a team unable to control the midfield against the second-to-last team in LaLiga. For the Frenchman, the yellow card is costly, as it prevents him from playing against Villarreal next Saturday at La Cerámica.

Mbappé scored his sixth penalty in LaLiga 25/26 against Levante (2-0)

After the break, Güler settled in as an attacking midfielder, giving more purpose to 'Merengue' possessions. The Turk tried his luck in the 55th minute with a shot from the edge of the box that Ryan saved with difficulty and, three minutes later, Mbappé received a pass from Arda and, as he was lining up to shoot, he was brought down by De la Fuente inside the area.

The penalty was clear and 'Kiki' did not fail in its execution, celebrating his 19th goal in the League, the sixth from a penalty. With the 1-0, Levante offered little resistance to even seek an equalizer. In the 65th minute, a corner served by Güler from the right allowed Asencio to score with a header.

The Turk and two set-piece goals resolved the situation for Arbeloa, who at least managed to win in his first match on the Bernabéu bench. **Shouts and banners of 'Florentino resign'** marked a tense afternoon in Chamartín, following a disastrous week for the team and with a sporting project on the brink of collapse

Madrid Closes Gap to 1 Point Behind Barça Again

Beyond the 'Merengue' crisis, the fight for the LaLiga lead remains completely open at the start of the second half of the season. Real Madrid reached 48 points, one less than Barcelona (49). Hansi Flick's team visits Real Sociedad this Sunday (9:00 PM) with the obligation to win their tenth consecutive matchday to maintain their 4-point lead at the top.

In the next matchday, the 21st, Madrid will visit Villarreal on Saturday (9:00 PM) and Barça will return to Spotify Camp Nou against Oviedo (Sunday, 4:15 PM). In between, both teams will play the seventh matchday of the Champions League group stage. The Whites will host Monaco on Tuesday, while the Catalans will travel to Prague to face Sparta on Wednesday

Match Report: Real Madrid 2-0 Levante UD

• Real Madrid, 2: Courtois; Valverde, Asensio (Alaba, min. 90), Huijsen (Ceballos, min. 60), Carreras; Tchouaméni, Camavinga (Arda Güler, min. 46), Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappé and Gonzalo (Mastantuono, min. 46).
• Levante UD, 0: Ryan; Toljan, Dela, Matturro, Manu Sánchez; Vencedor (Raghouber, min. 66), Pablo Martínez, Tunde (Espí, min. 83), Carlos Álvarez (Cortés, min. 83); Etta Eyong (Iker Losada, min. 66) and Ivan Romero (Olasagasti, min. 83).
• Goals: 1-0, Kylian Mbappé (min. 58); 2-0, Raúl Asensio (min. 65)
• Referee: Miguel Sesma Espinosa. Booked Aurélien Tchouaméni and Gonzalo García for Real Madrid. On Levante, Unai Vencedor was cautioned. He awarded a penalty for Adrián De la Fuente's foul on Kylian Mbappé in the second half.
• Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu.
• Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 20 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26.