By Sachit Subba • Football • Nov 08, 2026 06:31 AM • 3 views
VALENCIA — Real Madrid ran out 3-0 winners over a struggling Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday, level on points with Barcelona at the top of LaLiga and their eighth win in all competitions in a row.
Federico Valverde opened the scoring with a low drive, Arda Guler added the second and Kylian Mbappe finished the job. Valencia's night got worse ten minutes from time when captain Jose Gaya was shown a straight red card for a clumsy challenge on Mbappe.
The result leaves Madrid level with Barcelona on 30 points at the top of the table. Barcelona stay first on goal difference with a game in hand as they head into Sunday's match against third-placed Atletico Madrid. A win for Atletico would move them above both clubs, and the title race is now incredibly tight.
Madrid came to Mestalla with momentum after their El Clasico win at the Camp Nou two weeks earlier. Mourinho had to change his formation as Vinicius Jr was serving the final game of a four-game suspension for pulling an opponent's hair and dissent. Yan Diomande started on the left wing, with Mbappe up front and Valverde at right back. Tchouameni played in the middle of the park with Bellingham, Bernardo Silva and Guler.
Madrid absorbed the home side's early physicality and broke the deadlock in the 28th minute. Mbappe drove forward, and after a defender blocked his first attempt, Valverde reacted first. The makeshift full-back struck a vicious half-volley from distance that curled low into the bottom left corner.
Eight minutes later, Madrid doubled their tally. Bellingham picked up possession out wide and sent in a cross that deflected inside the area. The loose ball dropped perfectly for Guler, who slipped into space behind the defence and tucked home a sharp first-time finish from close range.
Valencia tried to disrupt Madrid's rhythm in the second half with physical challenges, but they created little to trouble the visitors' defence. Madrid put the contest out of reach in the 75th minute on a swift counter. Guler cut through the lines with an incisive pass to Mbappe inside the box, and the French forward took it in stride, skipped past the charging goalkeeper and guided it into the empty net.
Any Valencia fight was over in the 80th minute. Gaya went in on Mbappe with a tackle, and the ref immediately showed him a straight red.
The defeat has left Valencia in the drop zone, 2nd from the bottom of the table with just 9 points from 12 league games and zero wins at home this season.
