Madrid, Sep 24: Real Madrid continued their dominant run in La Liga with a commanding 4-1 victory over newly promoted Levante, retaining their perfect record at the top of the table.

Back in the starting lineup, Vinicius Jr. made an instant impact with a brilliant goal in the 27th minute, followed by a composed finish from Franco Mastantuono ten minutes later to give Los Blancos a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Levante briefly threatened a comeback when Etta Eyong headed in a goal in the 53rd minute. However, Kylian Mbappe responded with a penalty in the 63rd minute and added another just two minutes later, sealing the win for Madrid.

“It was a really complete team performance,” said head coach Xabi Alonso. “Vini was decisive and put on a really good display. We’ll start thinking about the derby from tomorrow.”

Elsewhere, Villarreal edged Sevilla 2-1 in a dramatic finish. Tani Oluwaseyi opened the scoring in the 16th minute, but Djibril Sow equalized for Sevilla early in the second half. Just as Sevilla looked poised to take control, Manor Solomon struck on the break five minutes from time to secure all three points for the visitors.

In Bilbao, Athletic and Girona played out a 1-1 draw. Girona took an early lead through Azzedine Ounahi’s ninth-minute strike, which ricocheted in off the crossbar. Athletic responded with four halftime substitutions, and Mikel Jauregizar leveled the match with a thunderous shot from outside the box just three minutes into the second half.

Meanwhile, Espanyol salvaged a dramatic 2-2 draw against Valencia. After trailing twice, Javi Puado netted a 96th-minute equalizer to deny Valencia a second win in four days. Arnaut Danjuma and Hugo Duro scored for the visitors, while Leandro Cabrera and Puado ensured Espanyol walked away with a point.

With the season heating up, Real Madrid’s form continues to set the pace, while late goals and tactical shifts defined a thrilling weekend across Spain.

(IANS)

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