Kylian Mbappé struck twice including a stunning solo effort as Real Madrid swept past Sevilla 4-1 on Sunday, climbing to third place in La Liga.
Arda Güler, fortunate to avoid an early red card for an apparent elbow, opened the scoring with a spectacular strike, before Mbappé’s double and a thunderous goal from Yan Diomande sealed a commanding win for José Mourinho’s side, who leapfrogged Real Betis in the standings.
Mbappé’s first goal was a moment of brilliance: executing a roulette on the edge of Sevilla’s box before dancing past the keeper and finishing coolly. His second came from the penalty spot—a cheeky Panenka after he was brought down in the area. Diomande, deputizing for the suspended Vinicius Junior, capped the performance with a rocket from distance.
Meanwhile, league leaders Barcelona remain six points clear of Madrid ahead of next weekend’s Clásico at Camp Nou, having thrashed Betis on Saturday. Atlético Madrid sit second, wedged between Spain’s two giants.
“We played a great game. We’re a team and we work to improve—considering we’ve only been together for a short time,” Mourinho told Real Madrid TV. “It’s difficult to have the calm other coaches enjoy at smaller clubs, given the magnitude of Real Madrid, but we’re making the most of every minute.”
Mourinho’s lineup adjustments included Diomande on the left for Vinicius, who was suspended following a controversial red card for hair-pulling last weekend—a decision that sparked outrage in Madrid over refereeing standards. Fans at the Bernabéu voiced their anger at La Liga president Javier Tebas, who had controversially likened the club’s criticism of officials to Nazi propaganda tactics.
While Madrid have complained loudly about officiating in recent weeks, this time it was Sevilla who felt wronged. Güler appeared to elbow Sevilla’s Peque midway through the first half, but escaped punishment. “It’s a match where Madrid deserve to win, but we were denied the chance to play 11 versus 10,” lamented Sevilla coach Luis García Plaza. “We should have been playing with a man advantage from the 25th minute.”
Sevilla resisted Madrid’s early pressure, but Güler broke the deadlock after 30 minutes, lofting a superb shot into the top corner following a clever setup by Diomande and Jude Bellingham. Mbappé nearly doubled the lead with a blistering run, only to be denied by the keeper. Soon after, Bellingham’s inventive backheel released Mbappé, who dazzled with a roulette turn and sidestepped the goalkeeper to score one of the goals of the season. Sevilla protests over a possible foul in the buildup were waved away.
Mbappé made it 3-0 from the spot after a light challenge from Andrés Castrín, coolly chipping home his ninth league goal this campaign. Sevilla’s Manuel Bueno pulled one back with a neat finish, but Diomande’s long-range strike restored Madrid’s three-goal advantage and closed out the scoring.
Elsewhere, Real Sociedad climbed to fifth with a 5-2 victory at bottom club Malaga, Celta Vigo edged Alavés 2-1, and Osasuna beat Racing Santander 2-0.
