Mbappé Strikes Again as Real Madrid Roll Past Valencia to Go Joint Top

Kylian Mbappé just keeps scoring, and Real Madrid just keep winning. A 3-0 victory at 10-man Valencia lifted Los Blancos level on points with Barcelona, while across Europe there was drama for Bayern Munich, a late scare for Dortmund and another narrow win for PSG.

Mbappé Extends Scoring Run as Madrid Take Control at Mestalla

Kylian Mbappé scored for the seventh match running as Real Madrid pulled provisionally level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona. The 3-0 win at Valencia on Saturday was Madrid’s eighth victory in a row across all competitions.

José Mourinho’s side largely dominated at the Mestalla. Valencia were reduced to 10 men, and Madrid made the most of the extra space.

Valverde and Guler Put Madrid in the Driving Seat

Federico Valverde opened the scoring, and Arda Guler added a second before the break. Those first-half goals gave Madrid the control they were looking for.

Guler then turned provider in the second half, and that was the decisive moment of the game.

Mbappé Seals It with a Clinical Finish

Mbappé burst onto a dangerous pass from Guler and darted past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. He squeezed the ball home for his 13th league goal of the campaign.

Reigning champions Barcelona visit third-placed Atlético Madrid on Sunday. They will be aiming to move back clear of the chasing pack.

Bayern Beat Mainz, but Neuer’s Record Day Turns Sour

Bayern Munich secured a 2-1 victory over Mainz in the Bundesliga. Yet the spotlight fell on goalkeeper Manuel Neuer once again after another error almost produced an equaliser for the home side in the first half.

Neuer became Bayern’s oldest player at 40 years and 225 days, overtaking Bernd Dreher. But the milestone was overshadowed when a recurrence of a foot injury forced him off before half-time. Jonas Urbig replaced him.

A Costly Flail and a Worrying Pattern

With Bayern leading 1-0, Neuer was left flailing at a cross. Mainz’s Lee Jae-sung put the ball in the net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

It was the latest in a growing number of errors from a keeper once regarded among the best in the world. Last month against Augsburg, his mistake led to the fastest-ever Bundesliga goal, scored after eight seconds by Robin Fellhauer.

The Numbers Behind the Concern

According to Sofascore using Opta data, the Augsburg error was his fifth leading to a goal in his previous 17 Bundesliga games. That works out at one every 3.4 matches.

In the 248 appearances before that, he made just 10 such errors, or one every 24.8 games.

Neuer has played twice since the 2-2 draw with Augsburg and missed four games with the foot injury. He returned for this week’s 2-0 Champions League win at Atlético Madrid.

Kane Creates as Bayern Stay Top

Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane could not find the net against Mainz. He did provide two assists, for Joshua Kimmich and 18-year-old Lennart Karl.

Bayern extended their unbeaten away run in the league to 31 games. They stay top of the Bundesliga ahead of Borussia Dortmund, with both clubs on 21 points from nine games. Bayern have the superior goal difference.

Dortmund, Leipzig and the Rest

Dortmund were given a scare by promoted Elversberg but won 2-1, thanks to two goals from Felix Nmecha. Third-placed RB Leipzig, three points behind the leaders, won 5-2 at home to Augsburg.

Jonathan Burkardt struck a 93rd-minute equaliser for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 2-2 draw at Paderborn. Werder Bremen missed the chance to climb into the top four, losing 1-0 at Stuttgart to an early Maximilian Mittelstädt goal.

PSG, Paris FC and Roma Keep Winning

A weakened Paris Saint-Germain claimed an unspectacular 1-0 win over Troyes in Ligue 1. It was their 11th consecutive victory in all competitions. Ukraine defender Illia Zabarnyi headed in Senny Mayulu’s cross in the 39th minute at the Parc des Princes.

Sinayoko Leads the Scoring Charts

PSG’s neighbours Paris FC won 1-0 at Auxerre through a second-half goal by in-form striker Lassine Sinayoko. The Mali forward turned in an assist from Pablo Pagis, who was called up to the France squad for the first time by Zinedine Zidane on Friday.

Sinayoko, 26, is Ligue 1’s top scorer with nine goals in 10 games. Liam Rosenior’s Paris FC are second, three points behind PSG.

Roma Climb to Second

In Serie A, Roma moved up to second with a 3-0 win over Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico. Mario Hermoso fired into the roof of the net in the 27th minute after regathering a loose ball.

Three minutes later, Sebastian Walukiewicz turned a Donyell Malen shot into his own net. Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric made saves from Leonardo Balerdi and Matías Soulé before the break. Rodrigo Mora’s 58th-minute goal then put the game out of reach.

What It All Means

Madrid have momentum, a red-hot Mbappé and a rhythm that Barcelona must answer at Atlético on Sunday. In Munich, the title race is tight, but the bigger question is how long Bayern can trust Neuer between the posts.