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Kylian Mbappe scored twice, leading Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory over Villarreal on Saturday, allowing them to take the top spot in La Liga, even as coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed concern about his team's fatigue.
Los Blancos are now three points ahead of rival Barcelona, although they have played two more matches, with Barcelona facing third-place Atletico Madrid on Sunday in a crucial title race fixture.
Madrid voiced their discontent about the match's scheduling, happening less than 72 hours after their Champions League penalty win against Atletico on Wednesday.
“The team possesses something unique: character and commitment,” Ancelotti stated to the press, stressing that Madrid would not agree to play without a “72 hours of rest” as suggested by FIFA.
Despite their frustrations, they demonstrated enough energy to overcome their rivals, who are currently in fifth place, at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
“On a physical level, we kept pushing, especially in the second half; the team became exhausted, but that was anticipated,” Ancelotti remarked. “This victory speaks volumes about our team and the talent within the squad.”
Ancelotti started the match with Vinicius Junior on the bench following the exhausting victory against Atletico in the previous round. Villarreal began the match strongly, forcing Thibaut Courtois to make a good save from Ayoze Perez’s effort.
From the ensuing corner, Villarreal took the lead when Juan Foyth scored from close range. Madrid quickly responded, with Mbappe equalizing in the 17th minute. After Brahim Diaz's lob was saved by Diego Conde, the French forward finished decisively from the rebound.
Mbappe soon netted again, receiving a pass from Lucas Vazquez in the middle of the box and scoring with style. This marked his 20th goal in the league this season, placing him just one goal shy of the top scorer, Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona.
Satisfied with their lead, Madrid defended against Villarreal's pressure for the remainder of the first half, with Courtois making a solid save against Nicolas Pepe.
Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral made a substitution at halftime, bringing in Thierno Barry for Pepe as the Yellow Submarine aimed to avoid their first home loss to Madrid in La Liga since 2017.
Foyth had a chance to equalize early in the second half but missed the target, volleying over the bar from a favorable position.
