Real Madrid secured a comfortable 2-1 victory over city rivals Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, with first-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. propelling them to the top of the LaLiga table alongside Barcelona.
Spain’s top three clubs are locked in an intense title race, with only one point separating them.
Barcelona lead the standings with 57 points, edging out Real Madrid on goal difference, while Atletico Madrid sit third with 56 points following their 2-1 defeat at Getafe earlier in the day.
However, Barca have a game in hand, as their match against Osasuna was postponed after the sudden passing of the club’s team doctor.
Real Madrid took control early in the match, striking twice in quick succession. Mbappe opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a well-executed counterattack, and just four minutes later, Vinicius doubled the lead with an impressive solo effort.
Rayo Vallecano pulled one back in first-half stoppage time through Pedro Diaz, whose powerful strike from the edge of the box rattled off the crossbar and bounced past the goal line before spinning back into play.
The referee initially missed the goal, but VAR confirmed it after review.
