Kylian Mbappé scored twice in Real Madrid’s 2-1 comeback win against Villarreal on March 15, 2025, surpassing Ronaldo’s record for goals in his first season at the club. With 31 goals this season, he is now aiming to reach Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of 33. Despite a slow start, Mbappé has since become a key player, emphasizing the importance of winning La Liga and other titles over personal accolades. Madrid leads the league, three points ahead of Barcelona. Coach Carlo Ancelotti criticized the scheduling of the match, noting it was tough to play just 72 hours after their Champions League match.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid gestures during the LaLiga match between Villarreal CF and Real Madrid CF at Estadio de la Ceramica on March 15, 2025 in Villarreal, Spain.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
After a gradual beginning to his journey with Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé has now outshined one of the club’s legends.
Mbappé scored two goals during Madrid’s 2-1 comeback victory against Villarreal on Saturday (March 15, 2025), raising his total to 31 goals in all competitions this season — one more than Brazil’s Ronaldo had during his debut season at the club. This win also enabled Madrid to extend their lead to three points at the top of the Spanish league, ahead of Barcelona, which still has two matches in hand.
The scoring struggles that Mbappé faced in the initial months at Madrid are now a thing of the past.
Having surpassed Ronaldo’s record from 2002-03, the former Paris Saint-Germain star is now closing in on Cristiano Ronaldo’s 33 goals achieved during his first season with Madrid in 2009-10.
“These are legends who have left a mark on the club’s history,” Mbappé remarked about the two Ronaldos. “Outscoring Ronaldo and Cristiano doesn’t imply I’m better; it simply means my first season has been better. Scoring is crucial, but it’s even more significant if we claim the La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey.”
His brace against fifth-placed Villarreal brought Mbappé’s La Liga tally to 20 goals, just one shy of Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski in the league.
Villarreal kept the game thrilling, attacking relentlessly with contributions from Alex Baena and Nicolas Pepe, leading to numerous chances. Thibaut Courtois made three crucial saves for Madrid, denying Pepe, Ayoze Pérez, and Pape Gueye in the first half.
However, Villarreal fell short at the other end as Mbappé ruthlessly capitalized on the gaps in their defense.
“Mbappé didn’t engage much, but he was deadly,” commented Villarreal coach Marcelino Toral.
A one-handed save by Courtois against Ayoze led to a corner that resulted in Villarreal’s opening goal after eight minutes. Juan Foyth slotted home a ball that landed at his feet inside the six-yard box following a scramble among players.
Mbappé equalized in the 17th minute, setting up teammate Brahim Díaz for a shot that was stopped by goalkeeper Diego Conde, allowing Mbappé to slot home the rebound.
He found the net again in the 23rd minute when Villarreal’s defense lost track of him at the edge of the area. Receiving a pass from Lucas Vázquez, he had ample time to direct a shot into the bottom right corner.
After halftime substitutions, Thierno Barry and Foyth both missed scoring chances early in the second half before Madrid solidified their defense to secure the victory.
Carlo Ancelotti opted to keep Vinícius Júnior and Antonio Rudiger on the bench until the last half hour, with Luka Modric coming on shortly after, as the Madrid coach rotated his squad just three days after their intense Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid that went to penalties.
“This was a crucial and challenging match against one of the top teams in the league,” Mbappé stated. “Following the game against Atletico and the extra time, it was very tough today, but we knew we had to achieve a win. We displayed character and determination to secure this victory.”
Barcelona trails Madrid by three points ahead of their match against third-placed Atletico Madrid, which sits four points behind, on Sunday. They also have a postponed game against Osasuna still to be resolved.
Ancelotti expressed dissatisfaction that the match in Villarreal wasn’t rescheduled, as the club had requested for additional rest for its players. Consequently, they stated they won’t agree to play another match without at least 72 hours of rest between games.
The kickoff for Madrid’s game in Villarreal was at 6:30 p.m. local time (1730 GMT) on Saturday, following a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, which started at 9:00 p.m. and extended over 120 minutes, concluding with a penalty shootout.
“This will be the last time we play within 72 hours,” Ancelotti emphasized.
Vedat Muriqi redeemed himself for an own goal and a missed penalty by successfully converting a stoppage-time penalty that completed Mallorca’s 2-1 comeback win over Espanyol.
Espanyol’s goalkeeper Joan García delivered yet another stellar display, saving two penalties.
García blocked Muriqi’s second-half penalty and seemed to have secured a draw for the visitors when he denied Abdon Prats during injury time, but the referee ordered a retake after an Espanyol player entered the area prematurely.
Muriqi, who had earlier scored an own goal that was negated by his teammate Takuma Asano, stepped up to convert his team’s third penalty attempt, finally getting it past García.
Additionally, former Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso converted a late penalty to secure a 1-0 victory for Celta Vigo against last-placed Valladolid, while Cristhian Stuani managed to score, earning Girona a 1-1 draw at home against Valencia.
Published – March 16, 2025 04:31 am IST