Mbappe Extends Scoring Run as Real Madrid Beat 10-Man Valencia 3-0

Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 at Mestalla Stadium on Saturday, a result that, according to Al Jazeera, pulled the club provisionally level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona. Kylian Mbappe scored for the seventh match in a row as Jose Mourinho's side won without the suspended Vinicius Junior.

Barcelona, the reigning champions, visit third-placed Atletico Madrid on Sunday and can move back clear of the chasing pack with a win, Al Jazeera reported.

The key numbers from Madrid's win at Valencia

3-0: the final score. Federico Valverde and Arda Guler scored in the first half, and Mbappe added the third after the break, according to Al Jazeera.
Seven: the number of consecutive matches in which Mbappe has scored for Madrid.
13th and 17th: the forward's 13th league goal of the campaign was also his 17th goal in 16 games in all competitions.
Eighth: Madrid's win in a row across all competitions, Al Jazeera reported.
10 minutes: roughly how long remained when Valencia's Jose Gaya was sent off for a late sliding foul on Mbappe.
Nov. 21: the date Vinicius Junior is expected back, when Madrid host Celta Vigo, according to Bolavip.

How the match unfolded

Madrid largely controlled the game, according to Al Jazeera. Valencia had early chances. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied Aaron Mayol after he won the ball from Aurelien Tchouameni in a dangerous area, and a Guido Rodriguez goal was ruled out for offside.

Madrid then took over. Valverde struck from outside the area after Mbappe's free kick was blocked by the Valencia wall and fell to him. Guler doubled the lead soon after when a Jude Bellingham cross was deflected into his path.

Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski kept the score down in the second half, stopping Guler as he tried to round him and saving from Mbappe and Bellingham. Mbappe also had an overhead kick saved. He finally scored by running onto a pass from Guler and getting past Dimitrievski. Gaya's dismissal later added to a difficult night for Javier Aguirre's team.

In the ninth minute, the match paused for players and fans to pay tribute to Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera.

Madrid without Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior missed the game because he was serving the last match of a four-game ban in the Spanish league, Bolavip reported. He was sent off in Madrid's 1-0 win over Villarreal on Oct. 10 after a VAR review, for pulling the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba. The Spanish federation's Disciplinary Committee added two matches for his protests against the referee's decision. Madrid appealed, but the appeal was rejected.

The ban applied only to Spanish competitions, so he was still available in the Champions League, including the match against AEK Athens on Nov. 4, according to Bolavip.

Before Saturday, Madrid had won all three league games he missed: 4-1 against Sevilla, 2-1 against Barcelona and 3-0 against Racing Santander. In those matches the team scored nine goals and conceded two, Bolavip reported. Bolavip said Yan Diomande had impressed Mourinho in his absence, with a goal and an assist against Sevilla.

What this means for the La Liga title race

For neutral fans and followers of the title race, the result keeps Madrid in direct contention with Barcelona, whom they beat in the Clasico at Camp Nou on Oct. 25. Barcelona's trip to Atletico on Sunday will show whether Madrid's draw on points holds, since Al Jazeera described the position as provisional.

For Valencia, the defeat adds to a difficult start. Goal reported before the game that the club was in the relegation zone on nine points after a 1-0 win at Elche, the first league win for head coach Javier Aguirre. Goal also said Valencia had not won a home league game this season and had scored three goals in six matches at Mestalla.

What comes next

Barcelona play Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Madrid's next league match is expected to bring Vinicius Junior back, against Celta Vigo on Nov. 21 after the international break, which Bolavip said falls on Matchday 13.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Goal.com, Bolavip US, Al Jazeera

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Mbappe Extends Scoring Run as Real Madrid Beat 10-Man Valencia 3-0

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