Real Madrid v Leganes | Match Highlights | LaLiga EA Sports Matchday 29
Real Madrid v Leganes
Real Madrid had welcomed relegation-threatened Leganes to the Santiago Bernabeu on a crisp Saturday evening, their pursuit of LaLiga supremacy colliding with a gritty underdog desperate to claw their way out of the drop zone, and it was Kylian Mbappé’s brace that ultimately steered the reigning champions to a hard-fought 3-2 victory that had leveled them with Barcelona atop the standings. The match had unfolded as a rollercoaster, Real’s 63 points from 29 matches now matching the leaders—who were set to face Girona the following day—while third-placed Atlético Madrid’s earlier 1-1 draw at Espanyol had left them six points adrift with 57, a slip that had tightened the title race into a two-horse gallop. For Leganes, languishing in 18th with 27 points—level with Alaves but marooned in the relegation zone on goal difference—this defeat had marked their third consecutive loss, a bitter pill despite a valiant effort that had pushed Real to the brink. Mbappé, reflecting on the night to RMTV, had acknowledged the challenge, noting, “It was a difficult match. After the international break it’s always difficult,” his words capturing the rust and resilience that had defined a contest where Real had surged, faltered, and ultimately prevailed through sheer star power and a touch of set-piece magic.
The game had kicked off with Real asserting their dominance, their attacking intent palpable as they pressed Leganes into their own half, the Bernabeu faithful expectant of an early breakthrough from a side brimming with talent. That moment had arrived in the 32nd minute, when Óscar Rodríguez’s clumsy foul on Arda Güler had gifted Real a penalty, and Mbappé had stepped up with the poise of a man born for such stages, coolly chipping the ball past Leganes’ goalkeeper to open the scoring at 1-0. The strike had seemed to set the tone, a signal that the champions were primed to steamroll their lowly visitors, but Leganes had other ideas, their response swift and stunning. Barely a minute had passed when Diego Garcia had pounced on a loose ball at the far post, tapping in to level the score at 1-1, a goal that had silenced the home crowd and exposed a rare vulnerability in Real’s rearguard. The momentum had shifted, and in the 41st minute, Rodríguez had turned provider, setting up Dani Raba with a precise pass that the forward had slotted past Andriy Lunin, flipping the script entirely as Leganes had taken a shock 2-1 lead. Mbappé had later dissected the lapse, admitting, “We started well, in the opposition half, and we scored a goal. Then we didn’t play well for 20 minutes and conceded two goals,” a candid assessment of a first half that had seen Real’s early control unravel into a deficit as the whistle had blown for the break.
The second half had dawned with Real reinvigorated, their urgency palpable as they sought to wrest back control, and it had taken just two minutes for Jude Bellingham to restore parity, the midfielder sliding the ball into the net after a rebound off the crossbar had fallen kindly into his path, the scoreline reset at 2-2. The equalizer had sparked a surge, Real’s tempo rising as they pressed for the decisive blow, their attacking trio of Mbappé, Bellingham, and Güler knitting together with a fluidity that had Leganes scrambling to hold firm. The defining moment had arrived in the 76th minute, when Mbappé had stood over a free kick, the ball positioned just outside the box, and unleashed a curled masterpiece that had arced beyond the wall and nestled into the net—a strike of such brilliance that it had sealed his brace and handed Real a 3-2 lead. “We worked on [the set piece] a few weeks ago with the staff. I knew I could shoot this way, I saw the space. I asked the others to let me shoot and it worked out well,” Mbappé had revealed, his preparation paying dividends in a moment that had tilted the game irrevocably in Real’s favor. The Bernabeu had erupted, the Frenchman’s second goal a testament to his growing influence, and as the clock had ticked down, Leganes’ late push for an equalizer had faltered, their valiant resistance undone by the finest of margins.
Leganes had departed the pitch with heads held high, their effort laudable even in defeat, striker Garcia reflecting, “We have done a tremendous job. We leave with our heads held high because we were fighting until the end to score here,” his words tinged with pride but underscored by the reality of a third straight loss that had kept them mired in 18th. The visitors had rattled Real, their quickfire response to Mbappé’s opener—Garcia’s tap-in and Raba’s finish—showing a tenacity that had belied their position, yet the “details,” as Garcia had put it, had favored the champions, the gap in quality shining through when it mattered most. For Real, the victory had been a testament to their resilience, Mbappé’s assessment—“We know that if we play well we’ll score and in the second half we scored two goals. We won the game and we’re very happy”—capturing a night where they had weathered a storm to emerge level with Barcelona at 63 points. The win had erased the post-international break cobwebs, Bellingham’s equalizer and Mbappé’s free-kick winner swinging the pendulum back in their favor, a reminder of their knack for finding a way even when the script had veered off course. Leganes, with 27 points, had remained locked in a relegation dogfight, their spirited display a moral victory but one that had yielded no tangible reward against a Real side that had refused to blink.
The broader ramifications of the result had rippled through LaLiga, Real’s climb to 63 points aligning them with Barcelona and intensifying a title race that had grown ever more cutthroat, while Atlético’s earlier stumble had widened the gap to six points, leaving them to rue a missed chance to close in. Mbappé’s brace had been the headline, his penalty and free kick bookending a performance that had silenced doubters and propelled Real to a crucial triumph, their second-half resurgence—driven by Bellingham’s opportunism and Mbappé’s flair—overturning a deficit that had threatened to derail their night. Leganes’ defiance had nearly snatched a point, their immediate riposte to the opener and Raba’s strike a bold statement, but their inability to hold firm against Real’s late onslaught had consigned them to another defeat, their 27-point haul keeping them level with Alaves but stranded in the drop zone on goal difference. As Garcia had noted, the focus had shifted to “next week,” a nod to the relentless grind awaiting them, while Real had savored a win that had kept their title defense alive, their stars shining just bright enough to overcome a spirited foe in a match that had encapsulated the fine margins of LaLiga’s unforgiving landscape.
