Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring Real Madrid's third goal during a 4-1 La Liga victory against Las Palmas in Madrid on Sunday. REUTERS
MADRID — With Kylian Mbappe putting on a show again, Real Madrid returned to the top of the Spanish league.
Mbappe continued his scoring streak with a brace as Madrid routed 10-man Las Palmas 4-1 on Sunday, prompting a big ovation at Santiago Bernabeu stadium for the France star who has struggled at times in his first season with the Spanish powerhouse.
"It's always a dream to get a standing ovation at this stadium," Mbappe said. "I'm really happy, I've adapted to the team and I can play the way I want to. Everyone enjoys the team's game. All the Real Madrid players are leaders because it's the best team in the world. We have to be united because we have to win a lot of things. You always have to win at Real Madrid."
Mbappe now has scored four goals in his last four matches with Madrid.
Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo also scored for Madrid as it overtook Atletico Madrid to begin the second half of the league season.
Madrid is two points ahead of city rival Atletico, which on Saturday saw its record 15-game winning streak end in a 1-0 loss to Leganes. Madrid opened a seven-point lead over third-placed Barcelona, which drew 1-1 at Getafe on Saturday.
"It was an important match for us," Mbappe said. "We knew what happened yesterday with Atletico's defeat and Barcelona's draw and we wanted to get the win. We started badly because we conceded an early goal, but the team's reaction was outstanding. We looked for space and played fast and with quality."
It was the second straight victory for Madrid after an embarrassing 5-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Jan 12.
After Rodrygo was fouled, Mbappe converted an 18th-minute penalty on Sunday after the visiting side had taken the lead through Fabio Silva one minute into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Diaz put Madrid ahead in the 33rd and Mbappe added his second goal in the 36th after an assist by Rodrygo.
Rodrygo scored his third goal in three matches in the 57th.
Mbappe thought he had scored a hat-trick near the end of the first half but his goal was disallowed for offside. He also hit the woodwork in first-half stoppage time.
Jude Bellingham had a goal disallowed after video review in the second half.
"Mbappe's great form is helping us a lot," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "Our work today was very good. We managed to get the right balance to handle the good moments and the difficult ones."
Las Palmas, sitting in 14th place and enduring a three-game losing streak across all competitions, had Benito Ramirez sent off for a high kick in the 64th. He initially was shown a yellow card but video review determined he deserved a red card.
Defender David Alaba made his return to action after a long knee-injury layoff in the 77th. He hadn't played since December 2023.
Madrid was without forward Vinicius Junior because of a suspension.
President Perez
As the only candidate, Florentino Perez was reelected Madrid president on Sunday, securing his control of the club until 2029.
"There having been only one candidacy... (Perez) is hereby proclaimed president of Real Madrid," said Los Blancos in a statement.
Perez, 77, has now not faced opposition in four elections (2013, 2017,2021 and 2025) since returning to the club in 2009 for a second spell at the helm.
The Spanish businessman was first elected as Madrid president in 2000, overseeing the club's Galactico era, and resigned in 2006.
Since Perez returned in 2009, Madrid has won five Spanish league titles and a remarkable six European cups, among other silverware.
Agencies
