# Two goals, one Ballon d'Or pitch, Madrid back on top

> Mbappe scored at both ends of the night as Real Madrid hammered Rayo 4-1 and pulled level with Barcelona.
- Title: Two goals, one Ballon d'Or pitch, Madrid back on top
- Summary: Mbappe scored at both ends of the night as Real Madrid hammered Rayo 4-1 and pulled level with Barcelona. Mbappe is doing the only Ballon d'Or campaigning…
- Keywords: football, real madrid, la liga, mbappe, ballon d'or, news, world, Two, goals, one, Ballon, d'Or
- Source: Malay Mail — https://malaymail.com/news/sports/2026/09/13/mbappes-double-keeps-his-ballon-dor-case-alive-as-madrid-go-top/234990
- Published: 2026-09-13T10:03:02+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: football, real madrid, la liga, mbappe, ballon d'or, news, world
## Madrid go level at the top
Real Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 4-1 at the Bernabeu and drew level with Barcelona in La Liga. The champions, perfect so far, visit Levante on Sunday to take the lead back.
## An answer to the Betis loss
Jose Mourinho's side had lost their previous league game to Real Betis. Against Rayo they settled it early, three goals up by half-time.

> (It was) fundamental to win, above all after losing the last game in La Liga
## Penalty opens the door
Florian Lejeune clumsily felled Alvaro Carreras in the 14th minute. Mbappe stepped up and sent goalkeeper Emil Audero the wrong way.
## Lejeune errs again
Vinicius Junior pressed Lejeune into giving the ball away. Carreras exchanged passes with Mbappe and drilled home the second.
## A debut that misfired
Record signing Yan Diomande got his first Madrid start and cut in from the right with a dribble that left Rayo's defence scrambling, then lashed the shot high and wide.
## Bellingham makes it three
Vinicius charged down the left and cut it back for Jude Bellingham, whose third goal of the season killed the game. Mourinho had publicly backed Vinicius after fans whistled him against Inter.
## Camello punishes a giveaway
Six minutes into the second half Vinicius lost the ball to Sergio Camello, who poked it past Courtois. That was Camello's sixth of the season, joint-top with Raphinha and Mbappe.
## Courtois holds the line
Rayo kept pushing. Pedro Diaz hit the post and forced a strong save, and Courtois also pushed away efforts from Giorgi Tsitaishvili and Lejeune.

> I think we could have scored in the first half too, but it's true that they were better
## Guler steadies it
Mourinho brought on Arda Guler to regain control, and the Turkish midfielder helped create the fourth. Mbappe finished it low and across goal in stoppage time.

> Arda is very good, he's got a lot of quality, he influences the team's play in a good way
## Seven goals and counting
That late finish was Mbappe's seventh of the season across all competitions, days after he laid out in public why the Ballon d'Or should be his. Madrid travel to Elche on Tuesday.
## Key takeaway

Mbappe is doing the only Ballon d'Or campaigning that counts: seven goals already, and Madrid level at the top of La Liga.