VINICIUS BRACE SEES REAL MADRID PAST VILLARREAL AND BACK INTO FIRST PLACE
Vinicius Junior scored twice and Kylian Mbappe added a third goal as Real Madrid brushed past Villarreal 3-1 to return to the top of La Liga – at least for one night.
Vinicius brought a lacklustre game to life shortly after the interval, beating his marker with ease before firing home the opening goal, and doubled the Madrid advantage with a penalty he won himself.
The visitors, who kicked off only two points behind Madrid, pulled a goal back through the impressive substitute Georges Mikautadze, but then went down to 10 players as Santiago Mourino received a second booking for cynically fouling Vinicius.
The game was effectively over from that moment, but Mbappe scored a tap-in to secure the Madrid win.
The only worry for the hosts was that Mbappe limped off shortly afterwards, with an apparent foot injury.
Madrid are two points clear of Barcelona, who have a game in hand and play on Sunday, while Villarreal remain third.
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Image credit: Getty Images
