Real Madrid pulled off a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Leganes on Saturday, with Kylian Mbappe once again proving decisive. The French superstar bagged a brace, taking his tally to 33 goals for the season—matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut-season record from 2009/10.
Mbappe opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute, but Madrid found themselves trailing at halftime after goals from Diego Garcia and Daniel Raba gave Leganes a shock lead.
Jude Bellingham quickly equalized after the break before Mbappe sealed the win with a controversial free-kick, bringing Real Madrid level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
“It’s very special,” Mbappe said. “To have the same number of goals as Cristiano is always good. We always talk, and he gives me a lot of advice. But as I always say, we have to win trophies.”
Only Ivan Zamorano (37 goals in 1992/93) has had a more prolific debut season for Madrid.
While Mbappe’s second goal was a well-executed free-kick routine with Fran Garcia, Leganes were furious about the decision to award the foul.
Leganes manager Borja Jimenez called it “bad luck” but hinted at possible action from the club:
“I hope the club does something about it.”
A Marca poll revealed that 75% of 40,000 voters believed the free-kick should not have been given.
Despite the uproar, Carlo Ancelotti was dismissive:
“If Leganes are complaining, we can complain too.”
Leganes had the final say on social media, posting:
“And on top of that, today they also steal an hour from us…”
With Real Madrid and Barcelona neck-and-neck in the title race, every decision could prove crucial in the coming weeks.
