Real Madrid dominates Real Oviedo with Mbappe double in LaLiga victory
Real Madrid secured a commanding 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Real Oviedo in LaLiga action on Sunday, with star signing Kylian Mbappe delivering a standout performance by netting twice before Vinicius Junior capped off the scoring with a stoppage-time strike.
The French forward opened the scoring for Los Blancos in the 37th minute following excellent build-up play. Aurelien Tchouameni dispossessed Leander Dendoncker in the middle of the park before quickly distributing to Arda Guler, who threaded a perfectly weighted pass to Mbappe. The former Paris Saint-Germain star showed his class by turning sharply on the edge of the penalty area and firing a precise low shot that found the back of the net.
However, the goal sparked controversy among the home supporters, who voiced their displeasure with loud protests, believing Tchouameni's initial challenge on Dendoncker should have been ruled a foul by the referee.
This encounter marked the first time these two Spanish clubs had faced each other since November 2002, and Real Oviedo proved they belonged on the same pitch. The Asturian side's organized defensive structure frustrated Real Madrid for large portions of the contest, successfully restricting the visitors to a narrow advantage for most of the ninety minutes.
Oviedo came agonizingly close to restoring parity when Kwasi Sibo unleashed a dangerous low effort that cannoned off the woodwork before ricocheting clear of the goal, leaving the home fans to rue what might have been.
Real Madrid doubled their advantage in the 83rd minute through another well-constructed attack that began with winning possession in the center of the field. Substitute Vinicius Junior demonstrated excellent vision by threading the ball through to Mbappe, who maintained his composure to slot home his second goal of the evening with a clinical finish.
The prolific forward nearly completed his hat-trick moments later when he unleashed a thunderous long-range effort, but Real Oviedo goalkeeper Aaron Escandell produced a spectacular save to keep the deficit at two goals.
At the other end, Real Madrid shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois was forced to showcase his own abilities, producing an acrobatic diving save to deny Haissem Hassan's well-placed angled shot that tested the Belgian's reflexes.
The scoring was completed deep into added time when Vinicius Junior found himself in acres of space inside the penalty area. The Brazilian winger demonstrated remarkable composure by carefully placing his shot into the far corner of the net to seal a comprehensive 3-0 triumph for the Spanish giants.
SportsLigue