Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net again and super-sub Vinicius Junior baited two red cards as Real Madrid beat Getafe 1-0 on Sunday night. Los Blancos were dragged into a rather ugly contest, but the Frenchman's second-half goal saw them get the job done and go two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona at the La Liga summit ahead of next week's Clasico.
Madrid struggled to create an opening in the first half. Mbappe came close, only to see a weak-footed shot parried away by the excellent David Soria in the Getafe net. David Alaba, too, was denied by the Spaniard, who saved an awkwardly spinning free kick.
Mbappe had a good chance after 65 minutes, running onto a Jude Bellingham through ball before firing into the side netting.
What followed was a remarkably odd sequence. Right back Allan Nyom was subbed on to protect Kiko, who was on a red and facing the dangerous Vinicius Jr. Nyom was sent off after 50 seconds for elbowing the Brazilian. In the ensuing chaos, Getafe failed to reorganize their defensive setup, and Mbappe ran through to make it 1-0.
Vinicius baited a second red soon after, drawing a silly booking from Alex Sancris, who had already been cautioned and left Getafe with just nine men for the final stages of the game. And with a two-man advantage, Madrid rather cruised. Not an easy win, but a valuable one ahead of El Clasico.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio Coliseum…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (8/10):
Made a miraculous save in second half stoppage time to secure the win. Immense.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
A bit mixed after facing heavy criticism of late. Covered ground, played some nice passes, but looked a little vulnerable defensively.
Eder Militao (6/10):
Erratic at times, and could have done with holding down the back line when Alaba was benched.
David Alaba (7/10):
A good contest to hand the injury-plagued defender a start, especially given that Madrid would have little defending to do. Unlucky not to score a free kick. 45 tidy minutes.
Alvaro Carreras (7/10):
Sat in, held his position, and ensured that the left side was tidy enough.
AdvertisementGettyMidfield
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
Sat at the base of midfield. Won the ball, and kept it moving.
Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):
Ensured Getafe had pretty much nothing through the middle. Did his job – even if it wasn't a glamorous one.
Jude Bellingham (7/10):
A composed performance. Made things happen, played some clever passes.
GettyAttack
Franco Mastantuono (5/10):
Clever in tight areas and combined effectively with Bellingham, but didn't leave a lasting mark. Rather outdone by the physicality of it all.
Kylian Mbappe (8/10):
Had one saved that he would usually bury, and then fired wide. Made up for it by smashing in the winner to bring up 50 goals in 2025. First Madrid player to score 10 or more goals after his first nine games of a season since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014-15.
Rodrygo (5/10):
Handed a rare start in his preferred position. Didn't do much to show that he deserved more of them. Moved to the right soon after.
GettySubs & Manager
Raul Asencio (6/10):
An assured second half, aside from one defensive lapse.
Vinicius Jr (8/10):
Made things happen. Got kicked a lot. Baited two reds.
Arda Guler (7/10):
Assisted Mbappe for the 5th time this year alone.
Gonzalo Garcia (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Brahim Diaz (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xabi Alonso (7/10):
Shuffled his pack, benched Vinicius and gave Rodrygo a rare start on the left. Got a disciplined showing out of his side, and will take the win – even if it was an ugly one.