OVIEDO: Kylian Mbappe was again on target for Real Madrid as they overcame Real Oviedo 3-0 in La Liga on Sunday.
For Oviedo, returning to Spain’s top flight after an absence of almost a quarter of a century, the arrival of the 15-time European champions was a gala occasion, and the Asturian fans made their presence heard.
Star turns Mbappe and Vinicius Junior made the difference in the north of Spain. The Frenchman notched a brace before the Brazilian slid in a late third.
Coach Xabi Alonso made a couple of notable changes to his starting line-up from Madrid’s opening 1-0 win against Osasuna, dropping Vinicius and Trent Alexander-Arnold for Rodrygo Goes and club captain Dani Carvajal, returning from injury.
But the dropped Vinicius responded by producing an assist and a goal in his half-hour cameo.
Argentinian teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono made his full debut in another change for Los Blancos.
The 18-year-old showed his explosive dribbling ability early on when he burst past two defenders into the Oviedo box before going down and looking appealingly at the uninterested referee.
A rare foray forward by the hosts saw Leander Dendoncker run onto a throughball and try to catch Thibaut Courtois out with a chipped effort in the 23rd minute. The Belgian shotstopper beat a hasty retreat before easily plucking the ball from the sky.
Madrid came close to forcing a breakthrough when Arda Guler drive from inside the box was excellently saved by goalkeeper Aaron Escandell. – AFP
