Luka Modric turned in a vintage performance, and Jude Bellingham served as an ideal sidekick as Real Madrid comfortably handled a struggling Villarreal side. The two grabbed a goal apiece, while Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz also found the net to round off a complete attacking showing and 4-1 win.
The first Madrid goal was a blend of youth and experience. 38-year-old Modric set up 20-year-old La Liga top scorer Bellingham with a wonderful cross, who put a header back across the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
Los Blancos added a second shortly before half time, when Rodrygo turned home from short range after a goalmouth scramble. Villarreal grabbed a goal of their own early in the second half, with Jose Morales darting behind the defence and finishing past a scrambling Andriy Lunin.
But this was otherwise a comfortable night for Madrid. Diaz scored the third after a winding run, before Modric got his deserved goal — a composed finish into the bottom corner to turn a victory into a rout.
They won't all be this easy, but Los Blancos got the job done, and are top of the table on Sunday night.
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