Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, beat Rayo Vallecano 4-1 at home on Saturday to bounce back to winning ways in the Spanish La Liga, in the competition's fifth round.
The win came a week after Real Madrid's first defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss away to Real Betis. Facing their own supporters, the Madrid side moved quickly to settle the match, helped by a Rayo Vallecano defence that was porous from the start.
Mbappé and Carreras put Real Madrid in control
Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute from a penalty, awarded after a foul on Álvaro Carreras, who previously played for Portuguese club Benfica. Three minutes later, Carreras doubled the lead himself, finishing after a one-two with the French forward inside the area.
In the 35th minute, Vinicius Júnior crossed from the left into the middle of the box, where Jude Bellingham arrived unmarked to make it 3-0, sealing what had been a dominant first-half performance from the hosts.
A drop in tempo and a lapse in concentration at the back allowed Sergio Camello to pull one back for Rayo Vallecano in the 51st minute. But Real Madrid had the last word on the counter-attack in the first minute of stoppage time, when Mbappé struck again for his second goal of the match and the final 4-1 scoreline.
Real Madrid, who started the match with Bernardo Silva in the lineup, moved up to second place with 12 points, level with two-time defending champions FC Barcelona. Barcelona play away to Levante on Sunday looking to maintain a perfect record so far this season.
Racing de Santander stuns Alavés
Alavés suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 away to Racing de Santander after coming from behind. The result lifted Racing de Santander to tenth place with seven points, while Alavés sit provisionally third with ten points.
Young Moroccan forward Yassir Zabiri was the star of the match for Racing de Santander, scoring in the 38th and 53rd minutes after Finnish defender Ville Koski had put Alavés ahead in the 18th minute.
Racing de Santander substitute André Almeida came on in the 65th minute but was sent off in the 89th minute with a straight red card.
Espanyol cruises past Osasuna
Espanyol won 2-0 away to Osasuna thanks to two early goals from Roberto Fernández Jaén, scored in the third and 17th minutes. The victory lifted Espanyol to seventh place with seven points, level with Osasuna, who dropped to 12th.
Athletic Bilbao held by Elche
At San Mamés, Athletic Bilbao were held to a 1-1 draw by Elche. Elche went ahead from the 50th minute through a penalty converted by Buonanotte, before Iñaki Williams equalised for the home side in the 79th minute.
The result leaves the Basque club in ninth place with seven points, while Elche sit second from bottom with just two points.
