Kylian Mbappé scored twice, including a chipped penalty, as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Arda Güler and Yan Diomande also on target. Madrid remain six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona a week before the Clásico.
Madrid, Spain: Real Madrid’s afternoon turned on a moment the referee chose not to punish. Midway through the first half, Arda Güler appeared to swing an elbow at Sevilla’s Peque, neither the referee nor VAR took action, and within minutes Güler had put his side ahead.
Güler lifts it into the corner
Madrid had spent the early stages probing. Jude Bellingham played the ball wide to Yan Diomande, who was filling in on the left wing with Vinícius Júnior suspended after his red card against Villarreal, and Diomande fed Güler on the edge of the box. In the 30th minute Güler lofted a strike over the goalkeeper and into the top corner.
Mbappé takes over
Seven minutes later Mbappé made it two. He turned in the area, sidestepped the goalkeeper and finished after a backheel from Bellingham, a goal built on the quick interplay that Madrid’s front line produced all afternoon.
The third came after the hour. Referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer awarded a penalty after a touch from Andrés Castrín, and Mbappé chipped it into the net for his ninth league goal of the season.
The elbow Sevilla will not forget
Sevilla pulled one back through Manuel Bueno in the closing stages, and Diomande answered by thumping a shot in from outside the box to restore the three-goal margin. It was another telling contribution from a player who had scored the winner against Villarreal a week earlier and, in Vinícius’ absence, played both creator and finisher here.
The visitors left with a grievance. Coach Luis García Plaza said afterwards that his team had been denied a match of 11 against 10, pointing to the Güler incident, and defender Juan Iglesias said the referee’s decisions had settled the game.
A Clásico on the horizon
The win leaves Madrid third, behind Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, and six points adrift of the leaders, who beat Real Betis 5-2 on Saturday. Madrid now turn to El Clásico on 25 October, a match that can cut that gap. Their form heading in includes a Champions League comeback against Roma that showed how quickly this team can turn a match.
Result: Real Madrid 4-1 Sevilla (La Liga, matchday 9)
Scorers: Güler, Mbappé 2 (1 pen), Diomande; Bueno
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Sunday 18 October 2026
