Mbappé Bounces Back, Real Madrid Score Big; Lazio Firm at the Top of Serie A
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- Kylian Mbappé mencetak penalti dalam kemenangan 3-0 Real Madrid atas Racing Santander, mengakhiri pekan penuh tekanan setelah kalah tipis di Ballon d'Or dan kontroversi media sosial.
- Lazio menang 2-1 atas Cagliari dan mengambil alih puncak klasemen Serie A dari Inter Milan, sementara Como terus menanjak ke empat besar.
- Kemenangan ini menjaga Madrid dalam jarak tiga poin dari Barcelona dan memperpanjang rekor enam kemenangan beruntun di semua kompetisi.
Kylian Mbappé answered the pressure in the most elegant way: by scoring. The Frenchman's penalty opened the scoring in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Racing Santander in La Liga on Sunday (1/11/2026), ending a difficult week that had tarnished his name.
The previous week was not an easy period for Mbappé. He had to accept a narrow defeat to Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) in the Ballon d'Or race, then was swept up in a storm of criticism after an old video of him making joking remarks about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong went viral again. As a result, Madrid's match and several other Spanish games this weekend were not broadcast on Chinese state television—a signal that a player's remarks can have consequences beyond the pitch.
Yet amid the scrutiny, Madrid looked solid. Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomandé also scored, ensuring José Mourinho's side stayed close behind Barcelona at the top of the table. The win was their sixth in a row in all competitions, proving that the Los Blancos squad can stay focused even when its main star is dealing with non-football issues.
In Italy, the race at the top of the table is heating up. Gennaro Gattuso's Lazio fell behind first when M'Bala Nzola scored past them in the 20th minute. But goals from Gustav Isaksen and Andrea Pinamonti turned the game around, giving Lazio their sixth consecutive Serie A win. The result took them to the top, displacing Inter Milan, who had dropped points in the same week.
Meanwhile, Como continued their impressive form. The narrow 1-0 win over bottom club Venezia—through captain Lucas Da Cunha's penalty in the 43rd minute—sent the promoted side back into the top four. "These are the kind of games we struggled to win last season," Da Cunha told DAZN, describing the team's improved mentality.
For Madrid, the win was more than just three points. In the context of the title race, they managed to keep pace with Barcelona, who thrashed Alavés 6-1 on Saturday. The pressure to keep winning now shifts to Atlético Madrid, who are just one point ahead of Madrid. Mourinho, known for his pragmatism, appears to have struck a balance between tactical discipline and freedom for creative players like Mbappé and Bellingham.
On the other hand, the non-football storm surrounding Mbappé is a reminder that modern footballers live under global scrutiny. The old video incident sparked a strong reaction in China, a huge market that has long been one of the commercial revenue sources for European clubs. Madrid and La Liga were affected too, with no broadcast on Chinese state television. Even so, on the pitch, Mbappé proved he can still be the difference-maker.
The question going forward: will Madrid keep rolling without disruption, or will off-field controversy come back to haunt them later? And in Serie A, can Lazio hold on to top spot under pressure from Inter and the other teams? The answers will become clear in the coming weeks, when the schedule gets crowded and crucial matches are at stake.
