

Real Madrid defeated 10-man Villarreal 3-1 at home on Saturday thanks to two goals from Vinicius Jr., but the team lost Kylian Mbappe to injury when the star striker hobbled out minutes before the end of the game. With 21 points, Real is currently two points ahead of Barcelona, who will travel to Sevilla on Sunday. With 16 points, Villarreal is in third place.
Early on, the game was tied, but when the clock reached the twentieth minute, Real started to apply more pressure. Vinicius scooped up the ball on the left byline, surged into the box, and squeezed a shot in from a tight angle that rebounded off Villarreal player Santi Comesana, thus breaking the impasse for Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid team just after the half. After being hauled down by Rafa Marin, the Brazilian attacker doubled his score in the 69th minute with a penalty kick that narrowly escaped goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.