Real Madrid beat Málaga 4-0 at Bernabéu with goals from Bellingham, Mbappé and Güler
Real Madrid scored three times in the opening half-hour at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, defeating newly promoted Málaga CF 4-0 to earn their third consecutive league victory.
Early blitz at the Bernabéu
Real Madrid secured a 4-0 home victory against newly promoted Málaga CF on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu, recording their third win in three matches to begin the 2026–2027 LaLiga EA Sports season. The fixture marked Málaga's return to the Bernabéu after nine years away from top-flight competition in Madrid, with actor Antonio Banderas attending in the stands. Real Madrid manager José Mourinho altered five positions in his starting lineup following earlier rotation in the opening rounds, introducing Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger, Eduardo Camavinga, Brahim Díaz, and Marc Cucurella. The hosts broke the deadlock in the 19th minute when Jude Bellingham navigated through the Málaga defense on a solo run and placed a low finish through the legs of goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero.
First-half scoring run and woodwork
The home side extended their advantage seven minutes later amid rainfall in Madrid. In the 26th minute, Bellingham attacked a rebound with a header that deflected off Herrero into the net, recorded as an own goal by the goalkeeper. In the 30th minute, Alexander-Arnold delivered a wide cross into the penalty area, where Kylian Mbappé finished to register Madrid's third goal, capping a sequence of three goals inside 11 minutes. Málaga, coached by Juanfran Funes and fielding a lineup with several youth academy graduates, retained spells of possession and created a scoring chance when Rafa Rodríguez struck the post. Bellingham later hit the woodwork at the opposite end with a left-footed shot.
- Referee Juan Martínez pauses play for a VAR review regarding a potential Real Madrid penalty, resulting in no call
- Jude Bellingham opens the scoring with a low finish through the goalkeeper's legs
- Alfonso Herrero deflects a header into his own net to make it 2-0
- Kylian Mbappé scores the third goal from a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross
- A penalty awarded to Málaga for handball against Yan Diomandé is overturned after VAR review
- Arda Güler scores the fourth goal from a Vinícius Júnior assist
Second-half adjustments and VAR reviews
Both coaches turned to their benches in the second half. Funes replaced Rafa Rodríguez with Pablo Martínez at the interval, subsequently introducing José Salinas for Carlos Puga, Juan Cruz for Joaquín Muñoz, and Haitam Abaida for Einar Galilea. Mourinho introduced Yan Diomandé for Brahim Díaz in the 65th minute and brought on Bernardo Silva for Federico Valverde in the 77th minute. Match referee Juan Martínez, assisted by VAR officials Daniel Trujillo and Alejandro Hernández, handled two penalty assessments. After an initial 12th-minute review for a possible Real Madrid penalty yielded no foul, Martínez awarded Málaga a spot kick in the 85th minute for an alleged Diomandé handball following a Haitam free kick. A video review led the referee to rescind the penalty. In the 87th minute, Arda Güler entered for Bellingham, and Ramón Enríquez replaced Izan Merino.
Final goal and upcoming schedule
Real Madrid concluded the scoring in the 91st minute when Vinícius Júnior provided an assist for Güler to convert from inside the box. Málaga collected two yellow cards over the course of the match, with Chupe cautioned in the 66th minute and Ramón Enríquez receiving a booking in the 93rd minute. The result maintains Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga standings, while Málaga remain in the relegation zone with one point across their opening three fixtures. Real Madrid next travel to Seville on Friday to face Real Betis at Estadio La Cartuja before beginning their UEFA Champions League campaign against Inter Milan.
