Kylian Mbappé picked the perfect stage to answer his rival. A day after Lamine Yamal produced a goal for Barcelona against Betis that travelled around the world, the France forward responded in kind at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, 18 October 2026, scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 4-1 LaLiga EA Sports win over Sevilla — the first of them, by common consent, the finest goal he has scored in a white shirt.
Arda Güler opened the scoring, Mbappé struck either side of the interval, Manu Bueno briefly gave Sevilla hope, and Yan Diomande restored the four-goal cushion late on. The result was Real Madrid’s second consecutive league win and kept them in touch after Barcelona and Atlético Madrid both won on the Saturday before the match.
The goal everyone came to see
Mbappé’s second-half penalty was routine. His first-half strike was anything but.
Jude Bellingham flicked the ball on with a backheel at the edge of the area, and Mbappé collected it with his back half-turned to goal. What followed was a blur of technique and pace: a near-complete spin on the ball to beat his marker, a shift of the ball from one foot to the other to glide around the advancing Sevilla goalkeeper Konstantinos Vlachodimos, and a left-footed finish from close range that sent the Bernabéu to its feet.
Spanish sports daily MARCA called it, so far, his best goal since joining Real Madrid — a piece of play the paper described as full of vertigo and talent, and one that belongs among the works of art LaLiga has produced this season. It mattered on the scoreboard too: the strike made it 2-0 and put real distance between the sides in a match Madrid could not afford to drop points from.
The timing carried extra spice. Mbappé and Lamine Yamal are locked in a running duel for the title of the world’s best player, and both are producing their best form with the Ballon d’Or winner still unannounced after voting closed. In a week, the two will share a pitch in the Clásico.
How the night unfolded at the Bernabéu
Real Madrid, coached by José Mourinho, named a strong side with Thibaut Courtois in goal, Dean Huijsen and Ibrahima Konaté at the heart of the defence, Marc Cucurella at left-back, Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield, and Güler, Bellingham, Endrick, Diomande and Mbappé in attack.
The breakthrough arrived on the counterattack. Diomande laid the ball off and Güler struck with his left foot from the edge of the area, finding the top right corner. It was the signal for Madrid’s best spell of the match, with Mbappé twice going close — once from distance, once saved low — before Bellingham’s backheel set up the Frenchman’s masterpiece.
Sevilla, under Luis García Plaza, had their moments. Lucien Agoumé forced a low save from Courtois on the stroke of half-time, and Kike Salas headed wide from a Gabriel Suazo cross. But the visitors went in 2-0 down at the break, and aggrieved: they claimed Güler should have been sent off for an elbow on Peque Fernández, a claim neither referee Busquets Ferrer nor the VAR upheld.
The penalty, the panenka and the push-back
Madrid killed the game just after the hour. Diomande collected the ball on the halfway line, turned away from Agoumé and slipped a pass in behind for Mbappé, who was brought down in the area by Andrés Castrín. Busquets Ferrer pointed to the spot.
Mbappé took responsibility himself — and, with Vlachodimos already leaning to his right, chipped the penalty straight down the middle in panenka style. It was his eleventh goal of the season in eleven matches, and his 97th official goal for Real Madrid in barely two and a half seasons at the club, leaving him within touching distance of a century. Add two assists and his season now stands at thirteen goal contributions.
Sevilla kept swinging. Félix Correia had a shot blocked, Valverde cleared off the line from a corner, and Courtois repelled a good strike from Youssouf Fofana after a run from Chidera Ejuke. The reward came on 80 minutes: Gabriel Suazo swung in a free-kick, Manu Bueno arrived unmarked at the far post and finished first time with his left foot, low past Courtois, to make it 3-1.
Any thought of a comeback lasted two minutes. Tchouaméni released Diomande down the left, the Ivorian carried the ball infield and lashed an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area past Vlachodimos. It was the least Madrid deserved on a night when they finished with 65 percent of the possession, 15 shots to Sevilla’s 11 and eight on target to five.
Sevilla will not let the controversy go
The scoreline was emphatic. The post-match conversation was not.
Juan Iglesias, the Sevilla full-back, was chosen to face the media and did not hold back. “The match was decided by decisions that were made, like the aggression against Peque on the first goal,” he said. “We saw the action at half-time and to me it is an aggression, and on their second goal there is a foul on Robbie Ure that they did not review. But we knew what we were coming into.” He added that his side also needed self-criticism, but insisted certain decisions had defined the game.
Sevilla’s grievance centred on two moments: the elbow by Güler on Peque Fernández that went unpunished before the opening goal, and a challenge in the build-up to Mbappé’s first that they felt fouled Robbie Ure. Madrid’s local press noted the team is moving away from its poor performances but not yet from controversy — a fair summary of an evening that was comfortable on the pitch and prickly off it.
What it means for the table and the Clásico
For Mourinho’s Madrid, this was the response the week demanded. Barcelona and Atlético Madrid had both won on Saturday, and anything less than three points at the Bernabéu would have handed ground to two rivals in form. Instead, Madrid secured back-to-back league wins and head into matchday ten with momentum.
The fixture list now delivers the main event: a Clásico against Barcelona in a week’s time, with Mbappé and Lamine Yamal arriving in peak form and the Ballon d’Or result still under wraps. If the Betis goal and the Sevilla goal are any guide, the two stars have spent the past few days sending each other messages. The Bernabéu will expect a reply.
For Sevilla, the defeat stings twice over — for the scoreline and for the decisions they believe shaped it. Luis García Plaza’s side showed enough attacking intent, particularly through Ejuke and Bueno, to suggest the problems lie elsewhere. But with the margins this tight in LaLiga, moral victories count for little.
The numbers behind the win
The statistics told the story of a match Madrid controlled without ever fully switching off. Possession finished 65-35 in Madrid’s favour, shots 15-11, shots on target 8-5. Sevilla committed 14 fouls to Madrid’s 10, and both sides finished with two yellow cards and no reds — a fact Sevilla will find harder to accept than the scoreline itself.
Individually, the night belonged to Mbappé. Eleven goals in eleven matches this season, 97 in white overall, and now a signature goal to point to whenever the debate with Lamine Yamal resurfaces — which, with a Clásico seven days away, will be very soon indeed.
FAQ
What was the final score of Real Madrid vs Sevilla?
Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu on 18 October 2026 in matchday nine of LaLiga EA Sports.
Who scored for Real Madrid against Sevilla?
Arda Güler opened the scoring from the edge of the area, Kylian Mbappé scored twice — a solo effort in the first half and a chipped penalty on 63 minutes — and Yan Diomande added the fourth with a strike from outside the box.
Why is Mbappé's goal against Sevilla considered his best for Real Madrid?
He collected a Bellingham backheel at the edge of the area, beat his marker with a near-full spin on the ball, then shifted it from one foot to the other to round goalkeeper Konstantinos Vlachodimos before finishing — a sequence MARCA described as his best goal in a Real Madrid shirt.
What controversy did Sevilla raise after the match?
Sevilla claimed Güler should have been sent off for an elbow on Peque Fernández before the opening goal and that a foul on Robbie Ure in the build-up to Mbappé’s first goal went unreviewed. Full-back Juan Iglesias said the match was decided by those decisions, while also calling for self-criticism from his side.
How many goals has Mbappé scored this season?
Eleven goals in eleven matches, plus two assists, giving him thirteen goal contributions. The strike against Sevilla was his 97th official goal for Real Madrid.