Madrid pile pressure on Barcelona as Mbappe fires past Valencia again

Real Madrid regained the La Liga lead by defeating Valencia 3-0 on Saturday, as Spain honored the late Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel. The 24-year-old died following a collision with Andorra's goalkeeper during a Spanish second division match on Monday. Matches across the country were halted in the ninth minute to pay tribute to the number nine.

De Miguel's funeral was held on Thursday, with around 400 mourners present, including Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. Striker Kylian Mbappe scored for the seventh match in a row in the victory, increasing his tally to 17 league goals this season. Liverpool manager Jose Mourinho praised his team, saying, "From my experience, this team smells good."

Valencia's Guido Rodriguez had a goal disallowed for offside before Madrid took control, with Valverde and Arda Guler scoring first-half goals. Mbappe added a third in the second half, finishing his 13th league goal of the campaign. Valencia captain Jose Gaya was sent off late in the game for a late sliding foul on Mbappe.