Real Madrid, the defending champions, staged a comeback to defeat Leganes, who are fighting against relegation, 3-2 in LaLiga.
Kylian Mbappe scored two goals to lead Real Madrid to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Leganes, drawing level with Barcelona at the top of LaLiga. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid fell further behind in the title race.
The match between the defending champions and the relegation-threatened team was supposed to be an easy win for Madrid, but Leganes put up a tough fight at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After Mbappe scored from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute, Leganes responded quickly. Valentin Rosier set up Oscar RodrÃguez to equalize, and then the minnows took the lead through Dani Raba just before halftime.
Despite Leganes’ continued threat, Madrid capitalized on their chances in the second half to turn the game around.
Jude Bellingham equalized before Mbappe scored his second goal from a free kick, securing the win for Real Madrid.
Mbappe now has 22 goals in LaLiga, just one less than Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.
Barcelona will have a chance to extend their lead when they face Girona on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid stumble again in LaLiga title race
Atletico’s 1-1 draw against Espanyol left them six points behind the leaders with nine rounds remaining in the season.
Cesar Azpilicueta gave Atletico the lead with a spectacular goal, but Espanyol equalized through a penalty converted by Javi Puado.
Atletico, who led the league in January, have faltered in recent weeks, with a string of poor results affecting their title challenge.
Atletico left fuming but Griezmann goes past Messi
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak expressed disappointment over dropping points and highlighted the need for consistency to compete for the title.
Both Oblak and coach Diego Simeone acknowledged the necessity of regrouping ahead of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona.
Espanyol, despite being in 15th place, has been strong at home, remaining undefeated in nine games, including a win against Real Madrid.
Antoine Griezmann set a new record for the most appearances by a foreign player in LaLiga, surpassing Lionel Messi’s previous record.
Other results from the weekend include Real Sociedad’s 2-1 win over Valladolid and Rayo Vallecano beating Alaves 2-0.
