Four-star Real Madrid storm to La Liga summit after fast start against Malaga

Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga with a convincing 4-0 victory over Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, scoring three times inside the opening 30 minutes before adding a late fourth.

Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 19th minute after bursting through the Malaga defence and finishing with a well-struck shot. Malaga’s players appealed for a foul during the build-up, but the referee stood by the decision to allow the goal.

Bellingham was involved again seven minutes later when his powerful header appeared to be going into the net. A Malaga defender tried to clear the ball, but it struck goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero and deflected over the line for Real Madrid’s second.

The home side had effectively settled the contest by the half-hour mark. Kylian Mbappe made it 3-0 in the 30th minute, meeting a dangerous cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold and converting to complete a dominant opening spell.

Real Madrid’s three-goal burst inside half an hour underlined their control of the match, with Malaga struggling to contain the pace and movement of the hosts’ attack.

Despite making five changes to the side that started against Real Sociedad, manager Jose Mourinho saw his team produce a cohesive performance. Antonio Rudiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Marc Cucurella, Brahim Diaz and Eduardo Camavinga were all brought into the starting line-up.

Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries were among those left on the bench.

Real Madrid eased off after the interval, having established a commanding advantage in the first half. Mourinho made his first substitution in the 65th minute, replacing Brahim Diaz with Diomande, before introducing Bernardo Silva for Federico Valverde 10 minutes later in an attempt to restore some attacking momentum.

Malaga pushed forward in search of a consolation goal and were awarded a penalty in the 85th minute. Real Madrid’s players protested the decision, prompting the referee to review the incident on the video assistant referee monitor.

After watching the replay, the referee overturned the penalty. The ball had come off Rudiger’s head while he was part of the defensive wall before striking Diomande’s arm, with the review determining there had been no deliberate handball.

As Malaga committed players forward, Real Madrid adopted a more defensive approach and looked to exploit the space on the counter-attack. That strategy produced a fourth goal in stoppage time.

Arda Guler replaced Bellingham in the 87th minute and made an immediate late impact. Real Madrid broke quickly, with Vinicius Junior beating a Malaga defender before returning the ball to Guler in front of goal. The Turkey international made no mistake, calmly finishing in the 90th minute plus one.

The result takes Real Madrid to nine points and first place in the league table. They move above Atletico de Madrid, who have seven points, while Malaga remain on one point in 18th position.

Although the pace of the match dropped significantly after half-time, Real Madrid’s fast and decisive start ensured they were able to complete a comfortable victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.