'Surprising' Jude Bellingham Helps Real Madrid Crush Osasuna, Overtake Girona

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said nobody expected Jude Bellingham to be so explosive in front of goal after the midfielder hit a brace to send Madrid back top of La Liga on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Osasuna. Girona's 1-0 win at Cadiz temporarily gave the Catalan minnows a one-point lead but Madrid cruised to victory at the Santiago Bernabeu to reclaim first place, with Vinicius Junior and Joselu also scoring in the rout. England international Bellingham, the division's top scorer with eight goals, was at his unstoppable best once more in the final third.

Ancelotti has shifted the former Borussia Dortmund player into a more attacking role, with freedom to move behind two more central strikers and it has paid dividends.

After scoring a brilliant solo goal against Napoli in midweek in the Champions League and adding two more against Osasuna, the midfielder now has 10 goals across both competitions in 10 appearances.

"Bellingham is finding a lot of chances in attack, he's very involved in the team's attacking play and not having a fixed position gives him an advantage," Ancelotti told reporters.

"It's been a surprising start to the season for him in all aspects. Obviously nobody expected this level, in terms of goals."

Ancelotti deployed defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni alongside Antonio Rudiger at the heart of defence, with David Alaba and Eder Militao injured, and Nacho suspended after his rash tackle last weekend against Girona.

However Tchouameni enjoyed a quiet afternoon at the back as Madrid dominated to ensure they will stay top over the international break.

Luka Modric, afforded a rare start, helped create the opener by feeding Dani Carvajal who laid the ball off neatly to Bellingham.

The midfielder,