Kylian Mbappe scored twice, including one brilliant individual goal, as Real Madrid thrashed Sevilla 4-1 on Sunday to climb into third in La Liga.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates. (REUTERS) Arda Guler, who was fortunate to avoid an early red card for an elbow, netted a spectacular opener before Mbappe’s double and a rocket from Yan Diomande as Jose Mourinho’s side moved above Real Betis.
Mbappe’s first was a sensational strike, involving a roulette on the edge of Sevilla’s box, and his second a chipped Panenka penalty.
Champions Barca are six points ahead of Real Madrid before next weekend’s Clasico at Camp Nou after thrashing Betis on Saturday, with Atletico Madrid second, sandwiched between Spain’s giants.
“We played a great game… we are a team and we work to improve, we’ve only been together for a very short time,” Mourinho told Real Madrid TV.
“It’s hard to have the calm that other coaches enjoy at other clubs, given the scale of Real Madrid, but we’re making the most of every minute we have.”
Mourinho lined up with Diomande on the left in place of suspended Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior, and brought Guler in as part of the midfield pivot.
Vinicius’s red card for hair-pulling last weekend provoked ire in the Spanish capital at officiating in Spain.
Madrid fans at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium chanted and held up banners against La Liga president Javier Tebas, after he said the club’s strategy of trying to discredit referees was similar to the techniques of Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.
Los Blancos and their new coach Mourinho have complained bitterly about Spanish refereeing in recent weeks, and more generally over the past two seasons, in which they have failed to win a major trophy.
On this occasion it was Sevilla who had more to complain about in terms of officiating as Madrid eased to victory.
A quiet start was disrupted when Madrid midfielder Guler appeared to elbow Sevilla’s Peque, which went unpunished midway through the first half.
“There’s a match that’s 11 against 11 where they deserve to win, without any d
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