Real Madrid 4-0 Malaga Player Ratings: Bellingham & Mbappé Continue To Shine As Los Blancos Pick Third Win In A Row In The League

Real Madrid faced a very familiar opponent in the form of Malaga in their third matchday fixture of the new La Liga season. Malaga, who are back in the Spanish top flight after 8 years, looked to give the Los Blancos a tough fight despite the Estadio Bernabéu being in full swing for the home side.

Trent Alexander-Arnold had a chance in the 1st minute itself after Vinicius Jr. made a good run on the left and played it to the right back, but the Englishman's strike went agonizingly wide of the left post. However, Real Madrid CF didn't have to wait long as Jude Bellingham went on by himself to finish a low effort between Alfonso Herrero's legs to put the home side in the lead in the 19th minute.

There were protests from the Málaga players who claimed that Bellingham had caught Ángel Recio on the face in the build-up play, but VAR stood by the on-field referee's decision, awarding the goal to the home side.

Their lead was doubled just seven minutes later, when Kylian Mbappé's effort was saved by Herrero, but the ball fell nicely for Jude Bellingham to head home. A desperate effort from Carlos Puga to keep the ball away from the goal line was thwarted by their own goalkeeper, as the clearance hit his back before rolling into the net, resulting in an own goal.

Things started to look bad for the visitors as Trent Alexander-Arnold's vicious low cross was side-footed home by one of the best strikers in the world currently, Kylian Mbappé, to make it three for Los Blancos in just 30 minutes of the game.

Bellingham hit the post in the second half from a tight angle, which was an example of how lively the Englishman was throughout the match. There was a penalty incident where Antonio Rudiger's header off a direct free kick hit Yan Diomande's arm, and the referee pointed to the spot.

However, VAR intervened and ruled it out, much to the joy of the home supporters who wanted to see a clean sheet all along. Arda Güler joined the list of goalscorers as he tapped home from a Vinicius Jr. assist to make it four for Real Madrid on the night.

In the end, Los Blancos completed their third win in a row in La Liga, while Malaga's search for their first win upon returning to the top flight continues. Here are the Real Madrid vs Malaga Player Ratings.

Key Takeaways

• David Larrubia won the most aerial duels in this match (7).
• Trent Alexander-Arnold and David Larrubia both recorded the most key passes (3).
• Marc Cucurella won the most tackles in this game (4).

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Malaga

Check out the Real Madrid Player Ratings from the Real Madrid vs Malaga Player Ratings.

Malaga Player Ratings vs Real Madrid

See the Malaga Player Ratings from the Real Madrid vs Malaga Player Ratings.

Man of the Match

Jude Bellingham was adjudged Sportsdunia's man of the match in this La Liga encounter.

Worst Performer

Alfonso Herrero was the worst of the lot from Real Madrid vs Malaga.