Mbappé Scores First Hat Trick for Real Madrid as Atletico Draws

Kylian Mbappé tucked the ball under his shirt as he raised both hands to return the applause to the Real Madrid fans who savored his first hat trick for his new club.
The France star had just led a 3-0 victory at struggling Valladolid that extended Madrid’s lead of La Liga on Saturday, keeping it in position to retain the title just after the midway point of the campaign.
Gone was the inconsistent play and missed penalties from Mbappé during his first months with Madrid following his move from Paris Saint-Germain. The France captain has started pouring in goals with back-to-back multi-goal games and has Madrid in pole position with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona stalled.
“I'm very happy for the hat trick but even happier for the win,” Mbappé said in fluent Spanish. “It was very important to win after Atletico’s result because that gave us a bit more pressure to take advantage of it.”
Madrid’s fourth straight triumph in the league combined with Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Villarreal let Carlo Ancelotti’s side open a four-point gap over its city rival. Barcelona was in third place at 10 points back before hosting Valencia on Sunday.
Madrid trailed then-leader Barcelona at one point, but since getting blown away in a 4-0 clasico debacle, it has found its stride and is in championship mode.
“My adaptation to the team is over. I feel comfortable on the field and you can see that from the way I am playing with my teammates,” Mbappé said. “This gives us confidence, but you know that until the 38th round this is not over. We have to keep winning because there is a long way to go.”
The game between the front-runner and the bottom side fit its billing as a mismatch.
Valladolid could draw only one save from Thibaut Courtois in the opening moments. It was all Madrid the rest of the way even though Vinícius Júnior didn’t play as he completed a two-game suspension.
Mbappé swept in Madrid’s first goal on the half-hour mark after a flowing team attack of quick passes to weave the ball through a packed Valladolid area that culminated in Jude Bellingham’s assist for the France star.
He made it a double in the 57th by finishing off a three-against-two counterattack after Federico Valverde intercepted a Valladolid pass. Mbappé took a pass by Rodrygo and rifled in a low strike from the left side of the box.
Valladolid finished with 10 men after Mario Martín got a second booking in the 90th for a foul on Bellingham, sending Mbappé to the spot for his third.
That made it four games in a row with a goal across all competitions for Mbappé. In La Liga, Mbappé has 15, second only to Robert Lewandowski’s 16 for Barcelona. He also scored twice last weekend against Las Palmas in a 4-1 win.
“Mbappé is giving us a lot. He has found his rhythm over the last couple of months and that is obviously a boost for us,” Ancelotti said.
Valladolid was five points from safety.
Atletico's stalemate with Villarreal came a week after a shock 1-0 loss at Leganes.
Gerard Moreno, Villarreal’s top scorer in club history, made it 120 goals for the Yellow Submarine in the 25th minute after the striker converted a penalty he earned when fouled by Reinildo.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone rested Antoine Griezmann and midfielder Rodrigo de Paul for the first half. Then he made three changes at halftime, sending on De Paul and winger Samu Lino to kickstart his sluggish attack.
The moves paid off as the hosts pressed Villarreal into its box, and Lino rammed in a 58th-minute equalizer.
Simeone sent Griezmann on immediately after and the action stayed in Villarreal’s area except for two chances for Villarreal’s Ayoze Pérez, who replaced Gerard. But Griezmann’s header that bounced just wide in the 86th was the closest Atletico came to snatching a winner.
“We played a good game at a very tough ground against a team with a deep bench that is fighting for the league. We are happy,” Gerard said for a Villarreal that stayed in fifth place.
Cedric Bakambu headed in a stoppage-time winner to grab Real Betis a 1-0 victory at 10-man Mallorca.
Mallorca had opportunities until Omar Mascarell received a direct red card for a studs-first tackle of Betis’ Jesús Rodríguez in the 73rd.
The win came while Betis secured a loan deal for forward Anthony from Manchester United.
García sustains Espanyol Goalkeeper Joan García made three saves to deny Sevilla standout Dodi Lukebakio and help Espanyol grind out a 1-1 draw at Sevilla.

Ruben Amorim says he would rather have Manchester United’s goalkeeper coach in his squad than Marcus Rashford after appearing to question the 27-year-old’s commitment to the club.

Out-of-favor Rashford has not played for his hometown club since Dec. 12 and seems firmly out in the cold under the United manager after again not making the squad for the 1-0 win at Fulham in the Premier League.

Amorim went as far as saying that 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital is more likely to gain minutes than the England forward.

“It’s always the same reason (why Rashford is not playing),” Amorim said Sunday on the eve of his 40th birthday. “The reason is the training, what I think a footballer should do in training, in life and every day. If things don’t change, I will not change.

“It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum and the right things then we can use every player.

“Today on the bench we missed a bit of pace to change the game but I prefer it like this, I will put (in) Vital before I put (in) a player who doesn’t give the maximum every day, so I will not change in that department.”

Rashford, who campaigned against child poverty during the COVID pandemic, posted “Congratulations on the win lads” on social media.

Mbappé Scores First Hat Trick for Real Madrid as Atletico Draws