A brace from Kylian Mbappé in the second half allowed Real Madrid to temporarily take the lead in LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 on matchday 21. Álvaro Arbeloa's team defeated Villarreal at La Cerámica (0-2) in a balanced match with few clear chances in either area, which the 'merengues' settled after the break.

In the 47th minute, a surge by **Vinicius Jr.** down the left flank and a half-hearted clearance by **Pape Gueye** left a loose ball inside the box that Mbappé pounced on with a powerful left-footed shot to overcome the resistance of **Luiz Junior** between the posts. The first half ended goalless, with the Groguet side superior, although lacking accuracy in the opponent's area

Madrid resisted the yellow siege in another weak first half for the Whites

Villarreal took control of midfield from the start, thanks to the good work of Gueye and Dani Parejo in recovery. Mikautadze claimed a penalty right at the beginning of the match, but César Soto Grado let play continue after an apparent push from Dean Huijsen that was not reviewed by VAR.

Tajon Buchanan, in the 12th minute, shot wide a great cross from Pedraza from the left. Madrid was struggling on the flanks, with Fede Valverde and Álvaro Carreras pulled back into their own half and outpaced. However, the 'Yellow Submarine' did not translate their superiority on the pitch into shots on goal.

Mikautadze, in the 18th minute, missed a first-time shot after a great run by Gerard Moreno. Juan Foyth's injury, a couple of minutes later, hampered the frenetic pace of Marcelino García's team, who up to that point had had the 'merengues' on the ropes.The visiting team recently posed a threat in the 27th minute after a good one-two between Mbappé and Vini, finished with a shot from 'Kiki' directly into the hands of Luiz Junior. Vinicius warned again in the 41st minute with a cross shot that grazed the base of the post. Madrid finished the first half a little better, managing to shake off the initial dominance of the Castellón team.

Mbappé punished Villarreal's defensive errors

The whites came out much more plugged in for the second half and, on the first arrival after the break, Mbappé punished a Villarreal defensive error resulting from a good burst from 'Vini' and a half-hearted clearance from Pape Gueye, which the '10' converted into his twentieth goal of the season.

Gerard Moreno, in the 63rd minute, missed another unmissable opportunity, following a childish lapse from the 'merengue' defense after a low free kick served by Dani Parejo. The '9' was well positioned, but his shot went just wide of the crossbar.

Moleiro, in the 70th minute, made Villarreal's only shot on target of the entire match (10), but Courtois saved it easily. In the final minutes, the game became end-to-end, but without dangerous chances for either goal. Only in stoppage time did a 'Merengue' counter-attack lead to **a very innocent foul by Pedraza on Mbappé**.

The foul was clear and Real Madrid's top scorer did not miss against Luiz Junior, chipping his shot to fool the Brazilian goalkeeper. Now, Álvaro Arbeloa's team has 51 points, two more than FC Barcelona (49), who are obliged to defeat Oviedo (16:15 CEST) this Sunday to regain the lead

Match Report: Villarreal CF 0-2 Real Madrid

  • Villarreal, 0: Luiz Junior; Pau Navarro, Foyth (Marín, min. 23), Renato Veiga, Pedraza; Buchanan (Pepé, min. 70), Parejo (Parety, min. 77), Gueye, Moleiro; Gerard Moreno (Oluwaseyi, min. 70) y Mikautadze (Ayoze Pérez, min. 77).
  • Real Madrid, 2: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Arda Güler (Brahim, min. 80), Bellingham; Mastantuono (Gonzalo, min. 74), Vinicius y Mbappé.
  • Goals: 0-1, Kylian Mbappé (min. 47); 0-2, Kylian Mbappé (min. 90+3).
  • Referee: César Soto Grado. Booked Juan Foyth, Tajon Buchanan and Pau Navarro. For Real Madrid, cautioned Franco Mastantuono.
  • Stadium: La Cerámica in Villarreal.
  • Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 21 of the 2025/26 EA Sports League.