Mbappe fires Madrid to victory at Real Oviedo
OVIEDO, Spain: 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.
