Real Madrid beats Malaga 4-0 to maintain perfect La Liga start

Real Madrid maintained their perfect start to La Liga’s season with a comfortable 4-0 home win over promoted Malaga, scoring three times inside 30 minutes before adding a late fourth goal.

Jude Bellingham’s brilliant solo opener on Sunday, an own goal by Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero and a sharp Kylian Mbappe volley effectively settled the contest before halftime, with substitute Arda Guler wrapping up the victory in added time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The win lifted Real to nine points from three matches, two clear of Atletico Madrid and Alaves. Barcelona, fourth on six points with a game in hand, host Rayo Vallecano on Monday.

After naming the same starting side against Espanyol and Real Sociedad in Real’s opening two league matches, manager Jose Mourinho made five changes, with Marc Cucurella handed his first start for the club.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who started ahead of Denzel Dumfries, almost found the net inside the opening minute, curling an angled effort with the outside of his right foot just wide of the far post.

Malaga responded in the 15th minute when Joaquin Munoz drove a right-footed strike from the edge of the box narrowly past Thibaut Courtois’s top corner, but the visitors’ resistance soon cracked.

Bellingham opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a superb burst through the middle, collecting a loose ball near the edge of the area, gliding past three defenders and firing low beneath Herrero.

Real doubled their lead seven minutes later after Herrero could only palm out Mbappe’s effort. Bellingham headed the rebound back towards goal and, as Herrero and a teammate collided while trying to clear, the ball ended up in the net.

Mbappe then made it 3-0 in the 30th minute, meeting Alexander-Arnold’s cross with a fine volley from the centre of the box.

Real eased off after halftime, but Bellingham almost scored again in the 55th minute, striking the post from inside the area.

The second half drifted until Guler, shortly after coming on, started and finished a slick move, feeding Vinicius Junior before tapping in the Brazilian’s return pass to complete the rout.

Real Madrid return to action on Friday with a La Liga trip to Seville to face Real Betis before kicking off their Champions League campaign a few days later at home against Inter Milan.