sports

Mbappe Scores 100th-Minute Penalty as Madrid Beat Rayo

Published

8 months ago

February 2, 2026

Mbappe scores a 100th-minute penalty as Real Madrid beat nine-man Rayo Vallecano 2-1, closing gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona

Kylian Mbappe kept his composure to score a 100th-minute penalty and secure a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid over nine-man Rayo Vallecano in a fiery La Liga derby at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

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Los Blancos reduced Barcelona’s lead at the top of the table to a single point after the Spanish champions defeated Elche on Saturday.

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid in the 15th minute after England midfielder Jude Bellingham limped off with an apparent hamstring injury.

The early goal failed to calm a restless crowd, who whistled their own side despite Madrid dominating the first half.

Rayo Vallecano drew level early in the second half when Jorge de Frutos, a former Madrid youth player, finished from Alvaro Garcia’s cross.

The visitors had chances to take the lead, notably when Andrei Ratiu was denied by a fine save from Thibaut Courtois.

Rayo’s struggles intensified when Pathe Ciss received a red card for a foul on Dani Ceballos, and later Pep Chavarria was sent off for a second yellow after shoving Rodrygo Goes.

Mbappe came close to scoring earlier, hitting the post after rounding Batalla, but it was a late penalty awarded for a foul on Brahim Diaz that proved decisive.

The French striker, La Liga’s top scorer, confidently converted to seal the win in the 100th minute.

Madrid also hit the woodwork through Eduardo Camavinga, and nine minutes of stoppage time kept the tense atmosphere alive until the final whistle.

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The victory helped Los Blancos recover from a midweek defeat to Benfica in the Champions League play-off round, while their supporters experienced another rollercoaster evening of drama, tension, and relief.

Related Topics:100th-minute goal featured Kylian Mbappe La Liga Rayo Vallecano Real Madrid

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Opinion

Why Are Football Fans Expecting Trophy Haul from Man City’s 114 Breaches?

Published

12 hours ago

September 30, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Tai Emeka Obasi,

It is exceedingly terrible for clubs operating in a league as supremely elite as the English Premier League, EPL, to fraudulently cheat themselves to massive success.

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Rules are rules, and supposedly responsible club managements should comply with them in administering a game termed the beautiful game.

Manchester City is currently in the eye of the storm for all the wrong reasons.

A whopping 115 breaches were brought against the club, with reports now indicating that an independent commission found City guilty of 114 of them.

The club, however, maintains that the Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality.

Manchester City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, has appealed to the fans to remain calm and faithful, insisting that the club will continue to defend its position and pursue the available legal process.

According to reports, Manchester City is expected to appeal the verdict. The sanctions have not yet been announced, and the possible consequences could include a heavy fine, points deduction, stripping of titles or even relegation.

From the available reporting, however, there is no basis for football fans to start celebrating the prospect of receiving Manchester City’s trophies.

Even if titles were eventually stripped, the relevant period under investigation is 2009 to 2018.

During that period, Manchester City won three Premier League titles, in 2011/12, 2013/14 and 2017/18, as well as three League Cups, in 2013/14, 2015/16 and 2017/18.

That immediately puts a different complexion on the matter.

For instance, Manchester United finished runners-up to City in the 2011/12 and 2017/18 Premier League seasons, while Liverpool finished second in 2013/14.

But whether those titles would actually be reassigned to the runners-up is another matter entirely.

There is no automatic rule that says a stripped title simply moves to the team that finished second. Any such outcome would depend on the eventual sanction imposed by the relevant authorities.

The same applies to Arsenal and the League Cup. Arsenal were beaten by City in the 2018 final, but that does not mean Arsenal would automatically inherit the trophy if City were sanctioned.

Expert opinion has suggested that the eventual punishment could include a substantial financial penalty and a huge points deduction, potentially severe enough to threaten City with relegation.

But until the sanction is formally determined, nobody can say with certainty what punishment Manchester City will receive.

For Gunners fans, therefore, we should lower our expectations from City’s debacle. Even if Manchester City are eventually found guilty after the appeal process and even if they are relegated, Arsenal will not stroll to this season’s title.

Our last match against Brighton and Hove Albion is a huge warning that our squad is not as complete as it is generally acclaimed to be.