Mbappé Lifts Madrid to the Top, Neuer Sets Record but Gets Injured

Real Madrid kept close to Barcelona at the top of the La Liga standings after defeating 10-man Valencia 3-0 at the Mestalla Stadium on Saturday (7/11/2026). Kylian Mbappé again tormented the opposition defense by scoring for the seventh consecutive match, reinforcing his status as Los Blancos' main goal machine this season.

The win temporarily brought Madrid level on points with Barcelona, who face a tough match against Atlético Madrid on Sunday. José Mourinho's side dominated the match and recorded their eighth consecutive win in all competitions. Two first-half goals from Federico Valverde and Arda Guler paved the way, before Mbappé finished off a Guler assist in the second half to register his 13th league goal of the season.

In Germany, Bayern Munich secured a 2-1 win over Mainz, but the spotlight fell on goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The goalkeeper, aged 40 years and 225 days, officially became Bayern's oldest player, surpassing Bernd Dreher's record. However, the historic moment was marred by an error that nearly resulted in a goal for Mainz, as well as a foot injury that forced him off before halftime.

Neuer appeared to misjudge a cross that led to Lee Jae-sung's goal, although the goal was disallowed for offside. The incident adds to the long list of errors by the goalkeeper once considered the best in the world.

Data from Sofascore compiled from Opta shows that Neuer's errors leading to goals have occurred five times in his last 17 Bundesliga matches, or one every 3.4 games. Before that period, in 248 appearances, he made only 10 similar errors, or one every 24.8 matches. This decline in performance is a serious concern for Bayern, who are in a tight race at the top of the standings.

Even without a goal from Harry Kane, Bayern remained strong. The Ballon d'Or winner contributed two assists for Joshua Kimmich and 18-year-old Lennart Karl. The win extended Bayern's unbeaten record in Bundesliga away matches to 31 games and kept them at the top with 21 points from nine matches, ahead on goal difference of Borussia Dortmund, who also have 21 points.

Dortmund themselves faced stiff resistance from promoted side Elversberg before winning 2-1 thanks to two goals from Felix Nmecha. RB Leipzig in third place are three points behind after thrashing Augsburg 5-2, while Eintracht Frankfurt had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Paderborn after Jonathan Burkardt scored the equalizer in the 93rd minute.

In France, Paris Saint-Germain continued their dominance with an 11th consecutive win in all competitions. Despite playing without several key players, PSG defeated Troyes 1-0 through Illia Zabarnyi's header in the 39th minute, converting a pass from Senny Mayulu. The win kept them three points clear of city rivals Paris FC, who won 1-0 at Auxerre thanks to a goal from Lassine Sinayoko, the Mali striker who now leads the Ligue 1 scoring charts with nine goals from 10 matches.

Meanwhile, in Italy, AS Roma climbed to second place in Serie A after defeating Sassuolo 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. Mario Hermoso opened the scoring in the 27th minute, followed by a Sebastian Walukiewicz own goal three minutes later, and Rodrigo Mora closed the scoring in the 58th minute. Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric made several important saves, but it was not enough to prevent his team's defeat.

A big question now hangs over Bayern: is Neuer still worthy of being the first choice between the posts, or is it time for the coach to turn to Jonas Urbig, who came on in his place? Meanwhile, Madrid and Barcelona will continue their fierce duel for the La Liga throne, with Mbappé increasingly unstoppable. Consistency will be key amid a packed schedule ahead of the turn of the year.