Mbappé’s brace, Vinícius off the bench, and a calm Madrid away win
Kylian Mbappé needed one clean touch and one ruthless finish to quiet a loud Carlos Tartiere. By the final whistle, Real Madrid had a 3-0 win, Mbappé had a brace, and Vinícius Júnior had iced the game in stoppage time. It wasn’t flashy for 90 minutes, but it was controlled, clinical, and very Alonso.
Real Oviedo came out bold and direct. A long ball early on split the visiting back line, and Thibaut Courtois was sharp off his line to snuff out the danger. That was a warning Madrid respected. From there, they tightened the spacing between lines, raised the press, and began turning loose balls into possession and possession into chances.
Rodrygo, handed a start with Vinícius on the bench, had the first real look—shaping a shot to the far post and forcing an alert stop from Joan Femenías Escandell. The pattern set quickly: Madrid patient in the first and second phases, then sudden and vertical through the front three. Federico Mastantuono, the teenager trusted in a forward-leaning role, helped trigger the press in the 15th minute, pinching in to nick the ball and spring a quick move that ended with Fede Valverde whipping a cross toward Mbappé. Dani Calvo read it perfectly and cut it out, a reminder that Oviedo were tuned in defensively.
The opener came on 37 minutes and felt inevitable because of the buildup. Arda Güler, floating into the pocket between Oviedo’s midfield and back line, threaded a pass across the grain. Mbappé’s first touch cushioned the ball away from pressure, the second touch rolled the ball out of his feet, and the finish was pure—low into the far corner, beyond Escandell’s reach. Madrid didn’t force the game after that. They managed it.
After the break, Oviedo tried to step higher and disrupt Madrid’s rhythm. That opened lanes in transition. Mbappé almost doubled the lead on a quick break, only for Escandell to throw out a strong hand. Rodrygo kept forcing the issue with diagonal runs, but the second goal didn’t arrive until late. On 83 minutes, Mbappé struck again, mirroring the first: controlled movement, a simple angle, and a low, unerring finish into the bottom corner.
With the result safe, Xabi Alonso turned to Vinícius Júnior for the final stretch. The Brazilian looked fresh and decisive. In stoppage time he popped up in the center of the box at the end of a neat counter, took the chance on his right foot, and made it three. Somewhere in between, Escandell denied Mbappé a hat-trick with a reflex save that deserved the applause it got from the home stands.
The clean sheet matters as much as the goals. Madrid have been stung on the road in recent seasons by moments of lapse—one long ball, one second phase, one set-piece. Here, they dealt with Oviedo’s directness early, then squeezed the flanks to cut off switches and second runs. Courtois was authoritative. The back line won first contacts and, just as importantly, the midfield hoovered up the seconds.
Tactics, selections, and what this win tells us
Alonso’s selection called attention before kickoff. Resting Vinícius from the start in a hostile away ground is a bold way to say rotations aren’t a punishment; they’re policy. Rodrygo’s inclusion changed the picture of Madrid’s left side—more inside cuts, more give-and-go combinations, less direct dribbling. That helped Güler operate between lines with space to receive and turn.
Madrid’s shape morphed in and out of possession. Without the ball, the front three pressed on a cue—usually a backward pass or a heavy touch from Oviedo’s full-backs—with Mastantuono leading the counter-press sprint to collapse the center. With the ball, Valverde drove the team forward, often opening the lane that Güler exploited to feed Mbappé. The first goal came straight out of that connection.
Mbappé’s movement did the silent work. He stayed just off the shoulder of the right center-back, then peeled into the half-space when the ball arrived at Güler’s feet. That small drift dragged the line, created the passing lane, and gave him the angle for the finish. The second goal came from a similar pattern, which is exactly what Madrid wanted: repeatable, high-value actions rather than hopeful crosses.
Oviedo had their moments. The early long ball was smart, and Dani Calvo’s interventions kept the scoreline manageable deep into the second half. Escandell made the kind of saves that usually tilt tight games. But they struggled to chain passes through Madrid’s press, and when the home side stretched to chase the equalizer, the spaces behind their full-backs became a runway for Madrid’s pace.
Beyond the scoreline, there were a few clear takeaways from Madrid’s second league win:
- Güler as the creative hub worked, especially with Rodrygo’s inside runs clearing the corridor.
- Mastantuono’s off-ball energy fits Alonso’s pressing rules; the teenager looked fearless without forcing the play.
- Courtous’ early intervention set the tone, and the back line stayed switched on to Oviedo’s direct balls.
- Vinícius’ late cameo reminded everyone why rotations are a luxury: fresh legs ending the contest.
For Alonso, it’s the balance that stands out. Two games, two wins, and no rush to crown a system. He managed minutes, protected the middle of the pitch, and let frontline talent decide the match. The decision to bench Vinícius from the start will make headlines, but the bigger story is the trust across the squad. Madrid have options now, and they’re being used.
In the table, the result matters in a different way. Villarreal lead on goal difference, with Real Sociedad also in the early pack, but Madrid haven’t dropped a point. In August that’s more about tone than trophies. Win your away games, keep your best players healthy, and make the margins look ordinary—that’s how title runs start.
The schedule will ask more questions soon, especially with midweek fixtures looming and top-half opponents to follow. For now, Madrid leave Asturias with three goals, a clean sheet, and a calm sense that the plan is taking hold. The Mbappé-Güler understanding looks natural. The rotations are purposeful. And the defense, so often a talking point on the road, looked secure when it mattered most.
Gerald Hornsby
August 25, 2025 AT 18:43In the theater of destiny, Mbappé’s strike writes a stanza of conquest 😊.
Hina Tiwari
September 3, 2025 AT 03:33That was a pretty clean win, i feel the guys really kept their heads. Even the Oviedo fans could see the respect, even if they were sad.
WILL WILLIAMS
September 11, 2025 AT 12:24Yo, Madrid’s attack was fire! Those quick passes lit up the pitch like fireworks!
Barry Hall
September 19, 2025 AT 21:15Good game, solid defense all around 😐.
abi rama
September 28, 2025 AT 06:05Feels like the lads are building momentum; keep the faith, they’ll keep stacking wins.
Megan Riley
October 6, 2025 AT 14:56What a performance! Courtois was rock‑solid, the midfield controlled the tempo, and the forwards capitalised-great job, lads!!
Lester Focke
October 14, 2025 AT 23:47The encounter between Real Madrid and Oviedo serves as a paradigmatic case study in the execution of a high‑pressing system orchestrated by Xabi Alonso.
The initial block by Courtois epitomised the requisite with‑the‑ball defensive discipline that underpins any successful transition.
Subsequently, the midfield unit, anchored by Valverde, executed a series of diagonal passes that systematically destabilised Oviedo’s backline.
The first goal manifested as a product of synchronized positional play, where the eroding defensive line permitted a low‑angled finish into the far corner.
In the intermission, the impetus remained on maintaining structural integrity while probing for opportunistic breakthroughs.
The second half witnessed a deliberate escalation of tempo, yet the Spanish side retained composure, opting for measured possession over reckless ambition.
Mbappé’s second strike, mirroring the initial pattern, underscored his adeptness at exploiting minimal defensive lapses.
The late introduction of Vinícius Júnior functioned as a tactical flourish, offering fresh impetus without compromising the collective defensive shape.
The defensive unit’s cohesion, manifested through coordinated pressing triggers, limited Oviedo’s capacity to generate sustained attacks.
Moreover, the tactical interchangeability observed among the front three illustrates an advanced level of fluidity seldom observed in the early season.
From a statistical perspective, Madrid’s expected goals (xG) and possession metrics reflect a dominant performance that aligns with their strategic objectives.
In sum, the match reaffirms the efficacy of Alonso’s hybrid model, blending high‑intensity pressing with controlled ball circulation.
Consequently, the victory not only augments the points tally but also consolidates a philosophical framework that could be pivotal in the pursuit of the league title.
Naveen Kumar Lokanatha
October 23, 2025 AT 08:37The analysis presented is thorough, but one must also consider the psychological momentum that the squad acquired after the opening goal. Theoritical frameworks aside, the players' confidence surged noticeably.
Alastair Moreton
October 31, 2025 AT 17:28Honestly, the opposition never stood a chance; Madrid just rolled over them.
Surya Shrestha
November 9, 2025 AT 02:19Indeed, the juxtaposition of strategic restraint and opportunistic aggression is a hallmark of contemporary elite football; commendable execution.
Rahul kumar
November 17, 2025 AT 11:09Madrid’s pressing sequence starts with the midfielders cutting off the central passing lanes; by the time the ball reaches the full‑backs, the opponent is already out of shape – a textbook press‑and‑counter.
mary oconnell
November 25, 2025 AT 20:00Oh great, another masterclass in ‘high‑press wizardry’; it’s almost as if they printed a playbook from a boutique consultancy on the back of a napkin.
Michael Laffitte
December 4, 2025 AT 04:51The vibe on the pitch was electric, every pass felt like a spark igniting the next big moment.