Mbappé's Penalty Powers Real Madrid to Impressive Victory

Kylian Mbappé turned the page on a difficult week by netting a penalty to propel Real Madrid to a decisive 3-0 victory against Racing Santander on Sunday. Just days after narrowly missing out on the Ballon d'Or to Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Mbappé found himself in hot water over a controversial social media video related to Mao Zedong, leading to an apology. As a result of the backlash, Chinese state television opted not to air Real Madrid’s match or other Spanish fixtures this weekend. Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomandé also contributed to the scoreline, helping Madrid maintain their chase for the La Liga title. They sit just three points behind leaders Barcelona, who thrashed Alavés 6-1 on Saturday. Real Madrid has now clinched six consecutive wins across all competitions and trails Atlético Madrid by only a point after their 2-0 triumph over Levante. In a twist, Real Sociedad saw their four-match winning streak halted with a 2-1 loss against Athletic Bilbao, thanks to first-half goals from Inaki Williams and Alex Berenguer, who scored from the penalty spot. In Serie A, Gennaro Gattuso’s Lazio secured a 2-1 comeback victory over Cagliari, moving to the top of the table ahead of Inter Milan. Cagliari initially took the lead through M’Bala Nzola, but goals from Gustav Isaksen and Andrea Pinamonti turned the tide for Lazio, marking their sixth straight win in the league. Como also made headlines by edging past bottom-placed Venezia with a 1-0 victory, allowing them to climb back into the top four. The hosts controlled the match but needed a penalty to score, which Como captain Lucas Da Cunha converted just before halftime. “This is the type of match we found hard to win last season,” he reflected. Juventus found their rhythm again with a 2-0 win over a 10-man Napoli, who faced the frustration of Luca Marianucci’s red card in the second half. Goals from Kerim Alajbegovic and Jeremie Boga sealed the deal, marking Napoli’s fourth defeat of the season. In Ligue 1, both Lyon and Paris FC kept the pressure on defending champions PSG. Lyon secured a 2-0 home win against Angers, with goals from Ernest Nuamah and Corentin Tolisso, while Paris FC triumphed over Monaco with a 3-1 scoreline, highlighted by two first-half goals from Lassine Sinayoko.