Mbappé Nets Spectacular Decider as Real Madrid Completes Comeback Victory Over Leganés

Real Madrid matched Barcelona’s points at the top of La Liga after coming from behind to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory over Leganés, extending their unbeaten streak at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu to eight league games.

The home side started the match cautiously against their relegation-threatened rivals, but quickly began to create scoring opportunities. Luka Modric was the first to test Marko Dmitrovic with a shot from a tight angle. Moments later, Bellingham set up the Croatian at the edge of the box, but Sergio Gonzalez was there to block his effort with a well-timed header.

Kylian Mbappe then tried his luck but was denied by Dmitrovic, who was caught off guard by Mbappe’s cheeky chip attempt from the penalty spot after Arda Guler was brought down by Oscar Rodriguez in the area.

However, the Madrid side’s hopes were dashed when Leganés struck less than two minutes later. Valentin Rosier charged down the right flank, laying it off for Oscar, who cleverly assisted Diego Garcia for an easy tap-in.

The Bernabéu, where only a handful of away fans were present, fell silent before erupting into groans as the visitors surprisingly took the lead.

Oscar, looking to redeem himself after conceding the penalty, had a role in Leganés’ second goal, shifting the ball past Raul Asencio and pulling it back for Dani Raba, who made no mistake in slotting it home.

Yet, Los Pepineros couldn’t maintain their advantage for long; just after the second half kicked off, Bellingham found the back of the net, scoring on the rebound after Renato Tapia deflected Brahim Diaz’s initial strike onto the crossbar.

Brahim then hit the post, but it wasn’t until the final 15 minutes that the hosts managed to regain the lead.

Bellingham won a free-kick on the edge of the area, which Mbappe curled beautifully around the wall into the bottom corner.

Though laid off by Fran Garcia, this was a notable moment as it marked the first time the Frenchman scored directly from a free-kick in his professional career.

In the closing stages, the home side appeared to adopt a more defensive strategy, inviting pressure from Leganés, but the visitors could only muster a wayward header from Munir El Haddadi.

This victory puts Los Blancos level with Barcelona at the top of the table, although the gap could widen back to three points should the Blaugrana defeat Girona on Sunday.

The upcoming Clasico in May is shaping up to be one of the most pivotal in recent history, while Leganés faces a critical nine games ahead in their fight for survival.