Real Madrid kept pace at the top of Liga on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Racing Santander in Santander, a result that stretched their winning run to four straight league matches and kept them close to FC Barcelone and l'Atlético in the standings. For readers following the Racing De Santander Vs Real Madrid Ranking, the result reinforced Madrid's place in the title race after the 11th round.
Kylian Mbappé was central to the victory. He opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 11th minute for his 12th league goal, then set up Jude Bellingham in the 22nd minute. Real Madrid added a third through Yan Diomandé in the 36th minute to put the game out of reach before halftime.
The match also came at the end of a week shaped by a diplomatic controversy with China, after Mbappé had been at the center of a viral video issue involving Mao Zedong. The game was not broadcast on Chinese state TV channels in response to Mbappé's comments. Before Sunday, Mbappé had described Mao as a "dictateur chinois".
Same matchday context
The Madrid result was part of a busy 11th matchday in Liga. Getafe also beat Séville FC 3-1 in Madrid's suburbs, while every match was preceded by a minute of silence for victims of a train accident in Tolède.
In the standings, Real Madrid were listed third on 27 points, still just behind FC Barcelone and l'Atlético. Racing Santander, meanwhile, sat 16th on 11 points. It was a straightforward night for Real Madrid, and an important one in the larger ranking picture: the champions stayed firmly in contact with the teams above them while avoiding any slip at Santander.
