Images from Sunday’s action in LaLiga and Serie A.
IMAGE: Kylian Mbappe celebrates with Vinicius Junior after scoring Real Madrid’s opening goal in the LaLiga match against Leganes at Estadio Municipal de Butarque, Leganes, Spain, on Sunday. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
Kylian Mbappe ended his goal drought with a close-range strike and midfielder Jude Bellingham scored a header as Real Madrid thrashed Leganes 3-0 on Sunday.
With a game in hand, Real are second in the standings on 30 points, four behind Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Mbappe latched on to Vinicius Jr’s through ball and found the net after 10 minutes, but his celebration was short-lived as the goal was ruled out for offside.
The France international has struggled to find his feet in his first season with the LaLiga champions, having gone four games without scoring in all competitions, his last goal coming in a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo last month.
However, the former Paris St Germain striker netted his seventh league goal of the campaign after combining again with Vinicius to give Real the lead two minutes before the break following a Leganes defensive error that Bellingham capitalised on.
“We switched the position of the strikers a bit, with Mbappe on the outside and he did well, as did Vinicius on the inside. The team controlled the game very well,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti after the match.
IMAGE: Jude Bellingham scores Real Madrid’s third goal. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
Real enjoyed most of the possession in the second half, giving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, back in the squad after a muscle injury, little to do.
Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scored the second from a free kick with an unstoppable long-range effort after Bellingham had been fouled in the 66th minute.
The England international put the icing on the cake in the 85th minute when he headed home after the ball bounced off the crossbar.
Real visit Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday before hosting Getafe in the Spanish top flight four days later.
Leganes are 14th in the standings and next face Alaves on Saturday.
Lukaku keeps Napoli on top with win over Roma
IMAGE: Romelu Lukaku slides in to meet Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s low cross and score. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
Napoli edged past A S Roma 1-0 at home on Sunday, with Romelu Lukaku’s second-half goal securing all three points and top spot in Serie A.
It took 54 minutes for Napoli to break the deadlock, with Lukaku sliding in to meet Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s low cross from close range and score against the team he played for last season.
Napoli have 29 points after 13 matches, one point ahead of Atalanta, Inter Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio who occupy second to fifth respectively.
It was a disappointing day for Roma manager Claudio Ranieri, who began his third stint in charge at the club, with his side 12th in the table with 13 points.
Napoli had an early chance to take the lead, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia failed to convert, sending a free header wide after being left unmarked at the back post.
Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar was kept busy, making several crucial saves, including a strong stop from Scott McTominay’s angled attempt.
Roma woke up after Lukaku’s goal in the second half, with Artem Dovbyk powering a header off the woodwork from a free kick minutes later, but they couldn’t find an equaliser.
Napoli could have added another goal in the final seconds of the match when David Neres sent a curling shot from the edge of the box just wide.
Fiorentina extended their winning streak to seven Serie A matches earlier on Sunday, a feat they hadn’t achieved since April 1960, with a 2-0 victory at Como, courtesy of goals from Yacine Adli and Moise Kean.
Keeper David De Gea played a crucial role for Fiorentina, making an incredible triple save to deny the hosts around the hour mark.
Lazio secured a 3-0 home win over 10-man Bologna later on Sunday after the visitors’ Tommaso Pobega was sent off just before the break.
Samuel Gigot, Mattia Zaccagni and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru all scored in the second half to secure Lazio their seventh consecutive victory in all competitions.
