Real Madrid thrash Racing Santander 0-3 with three goals in half an hour

Ten minutes. That's all it took for Real Madrid to tilt the match firmly in its favor at El Sardinero. A penalty committed by Matteo Prati on Kylian Mbappe, converted by the Frenchman himself with a low shot just inside the left post, opened an afternoon that finished 0-3 and one that Racing Santander never managed to make its own.

The match, part of LaLiga, was essentially decided in the first half hour. In the 21st minute, Jude Bellingham doubled the lead with a right-footed strike from the middle of the box after a through ball from Arda Guler, who was Real Madrid's standout attacking threat throughout the first half. Then, just before the break, in the 35th minute, Yan Diomande made it 0-3 with a shot from outside the box that found the top left corner following a corner kick. With three goals in just 25 minutes, the match was effectively over well before halftime.

Racing had a couple of early chances, with Iker Luque testing Thibaut Courtois, but never found any rhythm. The only controversial moment came in the second half: in the 71st minute, VAR reviewed a potential penalty for the home side and ruled there was no infraction, an episode that did nothing to change the course of a match that was already decided.

Dominance reflected in the numbers

Real Madrid's superiority showed up clearly in almost every statistical category. The visitors produced more shots, created more clear chances and controlled more of the ball, though without an overwhelming share of possession.

According to our expected goals estimate, calculated from the match's shots, Real Madrid generated 2.948 xG compared to Racing's 0.97, a gap that backs up what the scoreline showed: clearer chances and sharper finishing from the visitors, with Mbappe even striking the post in the 59th minute.

What the preview said and what happened on the field

Before the match, our projection gave Real Madrid a 78% chance of winning, against 9% for Racing and 13% for a draw, with a combined expected goals total of 4.58 (3.39 for the visitors and 1.19 for the hosts). The final result, a convincing 0-3 with Real Madrid already up by three goals before halftime, lines up closely with that forecast: the favored script played out almost exactly as expected, even if the final scoreline came in a bit under the total goals we had projected.

What the result means in the standings

In the LaLiga table, Real Madrid holds onto third place with 27 points from 11 matches played (9 wins, 0 draws and 2 losses), while Racing Santander sits 17th with 11 points from 11 outings (3 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses). The gap between the two sides in the standings is 16 points, a fairly accurate reflection of what played out on the field at El Sardinero.

For Racing, the defeat deepens a goal difference that was already the worst in the league. For Real Madrid, managed by Jose Mourinho, the trip to Cantabria produced an attacking showcase led by Guler, who provided two assists, with an attack that showed its range both in open play and from set pieces.