MADRID (AP) — With Kylian Mbappé putting on a show again, Real Madrid returned to the top of the Spanish league.
Mbappé continued his scoring streak with a brace as Madrid routed 10-man Las Palmas 4-1 on Sunday, prompting a big ovation at Santiago Bernabeu stadium for the France star who has struggled at times in his first season with the Spanish powerhouse.
“It’s always a dream to get a standing ovation at this stadium,” Mbappé said. "I’m really happy, I’ve adapted to the team and I can play the way I want to. Everyone enjoys the team’s game. All the Real Madrid players are leaders because it’s the best team in the world. We have to be united because we have to win a lot of things. You always have to win at Real Madrid.”
Mbappé now has scored four goals in his last four matches with Madrid.
Brahim Díaz and Rodrygo also scored for Madrid as it overtook Atletico Madrid to begin the second half of the league season.
Madrid is two points ahead of city rival Atletico, which on Saturday saw its record 15-game winning streak end in a 1-0 loss to Leganes. Madrid opened a seven-point lead over third-placed Barcelona, which drew 1-1 at Getafe on Saturday.
“It was an important match for us," Mbappé said. "We knew what happened yesterday with Atletico’s defeat and Barcelona’s draw and we wanted to get the win. We started badly because we conceded an early goal, but the team’s reaction was outstanding. We looked for space and played fast and with quality.”
It was the second straight victory for Madrid after an embarrassing 5-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 12.
After Rodrygo was fouled, Mbappé converted an 18th-minute penalty kick on Sunday after the visitors had taken the lead through Fábio Silva one minute into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Díaz put Madrid ahead in the 33rd and Mbappé added his second goal in the 36th after an assist by Rodrygo.
Rodrygo scored his third goal in three matches in the 57th.
Mbappé thought he had scored a hat trick near the end of the first half but his goal was disallowed for offside. He also hit the woodwork in first-half stoppage time.
Jude Bellingham had a goal disallowed after video review in the second half.
“Mbappé’s great form is helping us a lot," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "Our work today was very good. We managed to get the right balance to handle the good moments and the difficult ones.”
Las Palmas, sitting in 14th place and enduring a three-game losing streak across all competitions, had Benito Ramírez sent off for a high kick in the 64th. He initially was shown a yellow card but video review determined he deserved a red card.
Defender David Alaba made his return to action after a long knee-injury layoff in the 77th. He hadn't played since December 2023.
Madrid was without forward Vinícius Júnior because of a suspension.
President Pérez
As the only candidate, Florentino Pérez was reelected Madrid president on Sunday, securing his control of the club until 2029.
Other results
Earlier Sunday, fourth-place Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 at 13th-place Celta Vigo, while ninth-place Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1 at 10th-place Osasuna. Valencia moved out of last place by beating Real Sociedad 1-0 at home for its first league win since November.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
