Vinicius Junior fired Real Madrid to the top of La Liga with a brilliant brace in their 3-1 victory over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night, while Kylian Mbappe was also on the scoresheet.
The win lifts Los Blancos two points clear of Barcelona, who face Sevilla on Sunday, marking the perfect response to last week’s humiliating 5-2 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Fresh from their midweek trip to Kazakhstan, where they defeated Kairat in the Champions League, Xabi Alonso’s side shifted their focus back to domestic action with renewed energy and determination.
Speaking after the match, Vinicius expressed his delight at his recent form.
“I played very well and I want to continue like this, keeping this confidence and doing even more,” he told Real Madrid TV.
The Brazilian winger, who endured a slow start to the season, has rediscovered his rhythm in recent games and looks to be hitting top form at a crucial stage.
“We have good feelings… when we come back from the international break, we have big games and we need confidence,” he added.
Alonso made a few tactical adjustments, deploying Fede Valverde at right-back in place of injured duo Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The first half saw Madrid dominate possession but struggle to break through Villarreal’s compact defense. Teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono, signed from River Plate, came close when his effort was blocked by Renato Veiga after an Mbappe cutback.
At the other end, Thibaut Courtois produced a vital save to deny Tani Oluwaseyi, who had slipped past Madrid’s backline.
Los Blancos finally broke the deadlock early in the second half when Vinicius Junior’s shot took a wicked deflection off Santi Comesaña, leaving goalkeeper Arnau Tenas helpless.
Mbappe doubled Madrid’s advantage minutes later with a composed finish, his strike marking his seventh league goal of the campaign. Villarreal pulled one back through Alexander Sørloth, but Vinicius sealed the win late on with a fine solo effort to make it 3-1.
In the closing stages, Alonso introduced Jude Bellingham for the final 25 minutes — his second consecutive appearance from the bench following the Atletico loss. The England midfielder, recently left out of the national team squad by Thomas Tuchel, looked sharp and eager to make an impact.
The result puts Real Madrid firmly back in control of the La Liga title race, restoring confidence ahead of a tough run of fixtures after the international break.
