La Liga: Real Madrid wallop Valencia, move joint top with Barcelona

Real Madrid defeated Valencia 3-0 away from home on Saturday to move level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Federico Valverde, Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe scored as Real Madrid secured their fourth consecutive league victory at the Estadio de Mestalla.

Valverde opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a powerful low shot from outside the penalty area. His effort came after Mbappe’s free-kick was blocked by the Valencia defence.

Real Madrid doubled their lead eight minutes later through Guler. The Turkish midfielder scored with a volley from close range after Jude Bellingham’s pass took a deflection and fell into his path.Valencia struggled to create clear chances as Real Madrid controlled much of the match.

Mbappe sealed the victory in the 75th minute after receiving a pass from Guler. The French striker went past the Valencia goalkeeper before calmly finding the back of the net.

The goal was Mbappe’s 13th in the league this season, further strengthening his position among the competition’s leading scorers.

Valencia’s difficult afternoon became worse four minutes after the goal when captain Jose Gaya received a straight red card for bringing down Mbappe as the striker raced towards goal.

The result leaves Real Madrid level on points with Barcelona, with only goal difference separating the two sides.

Barcelona, however, have a chance to restore their three-point lead when they face Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Valencia remain 19th on the league table, just one point away from safety. Saturday’s defeat was their seventh in 12 league matches this season.

The match was briefly stopped in the ninth minute to honour Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died after suffering a serious injury during a Spanish second-division match. Players and supporters observed a minute’s applause in his memory.