La Liga: Bellingham, Mbappe shine as Real Madrid ease to Malaga win

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Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe both struck as Real Madrid’s perfect start to La Liga under Jose Mourinho continued in a 4-0 cruise against Malaga on Sunday.

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Los Blancos scored three times in just over 10 minutes in the first half to open up a comfortable lead over the Andalusian visitors to the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Sandwiched between Bellingham and Mbappe’s strikes was an own goal by Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero, while Arda Guler tapped in a fourth late on.

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“I’ve got the freedom to go higher or lower if we need, I’m enjoying myself a lot,” Bellingham told Real Madrid TV of his attacking midfield role under Mourinho.

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The former Birmingham and Borussia Dortmund star was given a standing ovation from the fans when he was substituted in the second half.

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“It’s an honour to play for this club and in front of these fans, and the ovation was very nice,” added Bellingham.

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After two victories in their opening two games and with superstar trio Mbappe, Bellingham and Vinicius Junior starting the season well, Madrid’s confidence was high.

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Mourinho rotated, making five changes to the team that started their opening matches, giving Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella, among others, their first starts this season.

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Bellingham opened the scoring after 19 minutes with an excellent solo goal, beating two defenders before drilling through Herrero’s legs.

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Bellingham forced the second goal seven minutes later, after Herrero denied Mbappe.

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The England international headed the rebound towards goal and defender Carlos Puga desperately tried to clear off the line, with the ball bouncing in off Herrero.

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Mbappe rattled home the third with a volley from Alexander-Arnold’s cross for his fourth goal of the campaign, leaving him top of Spain’s scoring charts.

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Promoted side Malaga threatened just before half-time, with Rafa Rodriguez striking the post after a corner was played to him, and Chupe hitting the side netting.

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– Clean sheet banked –

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Madrid cruised through the second half, with Bellingham hitting the outside of the post as they occasionally threatened to extend their lead.

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They only managed to get a fourth late on, when Vinicius teed up substitute Guler to finish from point-blank range.

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“The second half was more about managing the game, at a lower tempo. Malaga were calmer on the ball, but every time we stepped up the pace, it always felt like we could score one or two more.

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“One of our objectives was to keep a clean sheet.”

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Madrid managed to do that for the first time this season, and Mourinho said it was important for Los Blancos.

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“Football isn’t just about having fun with the beauty of the goals — it’s also about going home thinking that we’re a solid unit,” added the Portuguese veteran.

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Deportivo La Coruna secured their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Valencia.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his third goal of the campaign for the Galician side, who also benefitted from own goals by Cesar Tarrega and Mouctar Diakhaby.

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Edin Terzic’s Athletic Bilbao also claimed their first win, 2-0 at Celta Vigo, with goals from Alex Berenguer and Robert Navarro.

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On Monday, champions Barcelona host Rayo Vallecano in their third match of the campaign, having comfortably won their opening games.

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AFP

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