By St. Paul’s News Team
Jude Bellingham produced a moment of individual brilliance as Real Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory over Malaga on Sunday, giving returning manager Jose Mourinho a perfect start with three consecutive wins.
The England midfielder opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a stunning solo effort, collecting the ball around 35 yards from goal before weaving past three Malaga defenders and firing beyond goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero.
It was Bellingham’s second goal of the season and continued the midfielder’s impressive form following his seven-goal performance at the summer World Cup, where England finished third.
Bellingham was again at the heart of Real Madrid’s second goal seven minutes later. After Herrero parried a shot, Bellingham’s header struck the goalkeeper and bounced over the line, resulting in an own goal.
Real Madrid effectively settled the contest after just 30 minutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was left out of England’s World Cup squad, provided a superb assist from the right flank. His cross was met brilliantly by Kylian Mbappe, who volleyed home to put Real 3-0 ahead.
The Spanish giants completed the rout in stoppage time when Vinicius Jr raced forward on a quick counter-attack before pulling the ball back from the byline for Arda Guler to finish from close range.
Mourinho was full of praise for Bellingham after the match, describing England international as an “incredible player” while highlighting his demanding nature.
Jude Bellingham also scored in Real Madrid’s first La Liga match of the season, a 2-1 win at Espanyol.
Mourinho returned to the Real Madrid dugout during the summer, marking his second spell at the club after previously managing the Spanish giants from 2010 to 2013. During his first tenure, he won the Copa del Rey in 2010-11 before guiding Madrid to the La Liga title the following season.
The victory leaves Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings with nine points from three matches.
Barcelona can move level with Real on Monday if they defeat Rayo Vallecano at home.