Kylian Mbappe scored his 23rd La Liga goal of the season as Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory away to Valencia on Sunday, cutting the gap to league leaders Barcelona to just one point.
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Earlier, Barcelona had strengthened their position at the top with a win over Mallorca, but Madrid responded with a disciplined performance at Mestalla to keep the title race firmly alive. Third-placed Atletico Madrid, however, suffered a setback as they lost 1-0 at home to Real Betis, falling further behind the top two.
Despite missing suspended forward Vinicius Junior and injured midfielder Jude Bellingham, Madrid did enough to claim all three points. After a tight first half, Alvaro Carreras broke the deadlock midway through the second period with a superb strike, before Mbappe sealed the win late on.
Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa praised his team’s composure and focus. “It was a game that required patience. The victory came from how solid and concentrated we were. I think we deserved the win,” he said.
England international Trent Alexander-Arnold made his return from injury, coming on as a second-half substitute. Madrid had earlier chances through Mbappe and Arda Guler, while academy graduate David Jimenez came close but was denied by Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Valencia threatened an equaliser when Lucas Beltran hit the post, but Madrid wrapped up the points in stoppage time as Brahim Diaz set up Mbappe for a close-range finish. Arbeloa later hailed Mbappe as the world’s best player and suggested he could follow in the footsteps of club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Valencia fans, frustrated with the club’s struggles, voiced their discontent during the match as the team remained 17th in the table, just one point above the relegation zone.
In Madrid, Atletico’s title hopes suffered another blow as Antony’s first-half goal gave Real Betis a 1-0 victory at the Metropolitano Stadium. The result left Diego Simeone’s side 13 points behind Barcelona, just days after they had thrashed Betis 5-0 in the Copa del Rey.
Elsewhere in La Liga, Athletic Bilbao defeated Levante 4-2, Sevilla drew 1-1 with Girona, and Getafe claimed a 2-0 away win over Alaves.
