MADRID, Spain, September 12, 2026: Real Madrid needed an answer after losing their perfect La Liga record at Real Betis. They found one at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Kylian Mbappé scored twice in a 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano that temporarily pulled José Mourinho’s side level with Barcelona on 12 points.
Madrid supplied the biggest result of Saturday’s four-match La Liga program, but the more revealing developments came further down the table. Racing Santander overturned a deficit to beat previously unbeaten Deportivo Alavés 2-1, Espanyol stunned Osasuna with two Roberto Fernández goals inside the opening 20 minutes, and Athletic Club were held 1-1 at San Mamés by an Elche side still searching for its first league victory.
Saturday produced 11 goals across four matches, two home victories, one away win and one draw. More importantly, it disrupted several narratives created by a remarkable Matchday 4. Alavés are unbeaten no longer, Madrid have responded immediately, Espanyol have moved upward, and Athletic have given back some of the momentum created by their 3-0 victory over Atlético Madrid.
La Liga Saturday Results
| Match | Result | Main Story |
|---|---|---|
| Racing Santander vs Deportivo Alavés | 2-1 | Yassir Zabiri scores twice to end Alavés’ unbeaten start |
| Osasuna vs Espanyol | 0-2 | Roberto Fernández scores twice inside 17 minutes |
| Athletic Club vs Elche | 1-1 | Elche lead through Buonanotte before Chust own goal rescues Athletic |
| Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano | 4-1 | Mbappé scores twice as Madrid respond to their first league defeat |
Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano: Mbappé Gives Mourinho the Response He Needed
Real Madrid’s first league defeat of the season had created an immediate question.
Would the 1-0 loss at Real Betis become the first sign of deeper problems in Mourinho’s rebuilt side, or simply an early setback?
Madrid answered quickly against Rayo.
Mbappé converted a penalty in the 14th minute before helping create the second goal only three minutes later, setting up Álvaro Carreras. Jude Bellingham then made it 3-0 before halftime after Vinícius Júnior supplied the assist.
The speed of Madrid’s separation mattered almost as much as the score. Against Betis, Mourinho’s side had struggled to turn possession and attacking talent into control. Álvaro Valles eventually saved Mbappé’s late penalty and left Madrid with nothing.
At the Bernabéu, the same attacking group gave Rayo almost no opportunity to settle once the first goal arrived.
Mbappé turns a difficult week into another productive one
Rayo did find a route back into the match when Sergio Camello scored early in the second half following a Madrid defensive mistake.
The goal exposed an issue Mourinho will still want corrected. Madrid had already done the difficult work, built a three-goal advantage and established control. Allowing Rayo back into the contest, however briefly, showed that the defensive concentration still does not always match the attacking quality.
Thibaut Courtois was required to make important interventions before Madrid finally removed any remaining doubt.
Mbappé scored his second in the 90th minute, with substitute Arda Güler involved in the move, completing a 4-1 victory and restoring Madrid’s momentum.
The Frenchman’s response is particularly important because his missed penalty against Betis had become the defining image of Madrid’s first defeat. Seven days later, he converted from the spot, scored again from open play and helped create another goal.
Madrid’s rebuild still looks strongest when the game opens up
The performance also reinforced something The Sports Encounter identified during Madrid’s preseason win over Deportivo.
Mourinho has an extraordinary collection of players for attacking space. Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham and the runners around them can make matches disappear quickly once defensive lines become stretched.
The harder problem comes against opponents capable of remaining compact for longer periods.
That is one reason Bernardo Silva’s addition was so important to the summer rebuild. Madrid already had explosive talent. They needed more control when matches slowed down.
Rayo did not keep this game slow enough.
Madrid punished them.
Racing Santander 2-1 Alavés: Zabiri Ends the League’s Surprise Unbeaten Run
Alavés entered Saturday as one of the most interesting teams in Spain.
Four matches had produced 10 points, including a spectacular 5-2 victory over Osasuna that sent them into second place. Their unbeaten start had earned more attention in our Matchday 4 analysis because the underlying results were becoming too substantial to dismiss as an early-season curiosity.
Racing ended that run at El Sardinero.
Ville Koski gave Alavés the lead in the 18th minute, briefly placing the visitors in an even stronger early-table position. Racing’s response came through Yassir Zabiri.
Íñigo Vicente created both goals for the Moroccan forward. Zabiri equalized in the 38th minute and struck again in the 53rd, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage.
That second goal ultimately decided the match.
Zabiri is becoming much more than a promoted-team curiosity
Five goals in five league appearances gives Zabiri’s start genuine weight.
Racing have already discovered how unforgiving the step into La Liga can be. They missed a penalty before losing late to Getafe during the opening weekend sequence, then surrendered two separate leads in a 3-2 defeat against Rayo on Matchday 4.
Saturday asked a different question.
Could Racing chase a game against one of the league’s form teams?
They did.
Even André Almeida’s late dismissal could not take the victory away. Racing protected the 2-1 lead and collected a result that feels more important than three points alone because it came against an Alavés team that had not lost in its first four matches.
Alavés finally encounter the other side of an aggressive start
One defeat does not erase what Alavés have done.
Their opening four matches produced three wins, a draw, 10 goals and only three conceded. Lucas Boyé’s hat trick against Osasuna had strengthened the argument that their early success contained attacking substance as well as defensive organization.
Saturday provided the first setback.
How Alavés react may tell us more than the defeat itself.
Early surprise teams often remain relevant because they prevent one poor result becoming three. The points already collected have given Alavés room to absorb a difficult afternoon. Their next challenge is proving that the first month represented a sustainable level rather than a temporary surge.
Osasuna 0-2 Espanyol: Roberto Fernández Decides the Match Before It Settles
Espanyol needed only 17 minutes to build the lead that would survive the rest of the afternoon at El Sadar.
Roberto Fernández scored in the third minute after Marcos Fernández supplied the final pass, then struck again in the 17th following another attack involving Omar El Hilali.
Two goals. One forward. One brutally efficient opening.
Roberto now has five league goals this season, giving Espanyol a reliable source of finishing at a stage when many teams are still searching for their attacking identity.
Osasuna had entered the previous round unbeaten before suffering a 5-2 defeat against Alavés. Saturday therefore offered an opportunity to show that result had been an isolated collapse.
Instead, they found themselves two goals behind before the match had properly developed.
Espanyol win the match with efficiency, then defend it with discipline
Osasuna had possession and produced periods of pressure after falling behind. They also had a Rubén García goal ruled out and were frustrated by a penalty decision that did not go their way.
Espanyol did not need to dominate the ball.
They needed to protect the advantage created by Roberto’s finishing.
Manolo González’s side did that well enough to secure their first away league victory of the season and end a three-match winless sequence.
The result also changes the mood around a team that had endured a difficult early schedule. Espanyol were beaten by Real Madrid through a 90th-minute goal during the opening La Liga weekend, then rescued a 1-1 draw against Sevilla in the 98th minute last weekend.
At El Sadar, they did not need a late escape.
They created the advantage immediately and kept it.
Athletic Club 1-1 Elche: One Point That Will Feel Very Different in the Two Dressing Rooms
Athletic entered Saturday with momentum after beating Atlético Madrid 3-0 at San Mamés.
Elche arrived still searching for their first league victory.
The expectation was obvious. The match was not.
Athletic controlled much of the first half but failed to convert that pressure into a goal. Elche then struck early in the second half when Facundo Buonanotte converted a penalty after Jesús Areso fouled Germán Valera.
For a team sitting near the bottom, the lead offered a chance to protect something valuable.
Elche dropped deeper and forced Athletic to keep searching for openings.
The equalizer finally arrived when Álex Berenguer’s delivery was diverted into his own net by Víctor Chust.
Athletic pushed for more but could not find the winner.
Athletic’s attacking problem was different from the Atlético game
The contrast with Matchday 4 was revealing.
Against Atlético, Athletic turned a goalless first half into a 3-0 victory through Nico Williams, Robert Navarro and Oihan Sancet.
Against Elche, possession and territory produced far less reward.
That is a useful early-season warning. European contenders need more than the ability to punish strong opponents who leave attacking space. They also need reliable methods for breaking down teams prepared to defend lower and protect the penalty area.
Elche’s point will feel considerably better.
They had suffered another painful defeat earlier in the week when Luka Sučić scored in the 90th minute to give Real Sociedad a 3-2 victory, despite Elche fighting back from two goals down against 10 men. That match showed Elche could compete without yet turning performances into points.
Leaving San Mamés with a draw offers something more tangible.
La Liga Saturday by the Numbers
| Category | Saturday Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 4 |
| Total goals | 11 |
| Home wins | 2 |
| Away wins | 1 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Biggest win | Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano |
| Saturday top scorer | Kylian Mbappé / Roberto Fernández / Yassir Zabiri, 2 each |
| Unbeaten run ended | Deportivo Alavés |
What Saturday Changed in La Liga
The temptation with a four-match Saturday program is to focus entirely on Real Madrid because the largest club produced the largest score.
The wider picture is more interesting.
Madrid have repaired the immediate damage caused by the Betis defeat and moved onto 12 points from five matches. Mourinho’s side have now won four of five, while their attacking ceiling remains obvious whenever Mbappé, Vinícius and Bellingham find room to run.
That matters because Mourinho returned to Madrid with a squad built for immediate results. Saturday was the type of response expected from a team with those resources.
Alavés’ defeat may ultimately prove more informative. Their 10-point opening had been one of the league’s best early stories. Racing have now provided the first test of how they respond when momentum disappears.
Espanyol leave Pamplona with perhaps the cleanest performance of the afternoon. Score early, protect the lead, take three points home. Roberto Fernández’s five-goal start gives Manolo González something every mid-table side values enormously: a forward converting opportunities while the rest of the team develops.
Athletic are the team most likely to feel they left something behind. Beating Atlético 3-0 and then drawing at home against Elche is a reminder that league position is often determined by what teams do in the less glamorous fixtures.
Barcelona Now Have the Answer to Give
Real Madrid have done their part.
Barcelona enter Sunday’s trip to Levante knowing Madrid have temporarily joined them on 12 points, although the defending champions have a game in hand.
Barcelona’s opening four league matches produced four victories and 17 goals, establishing the first genuine pressure point of the title race. Madrid’s response against Rayo means Hansi Flick’s side now have an opportunity to restore the three-point advantage rather than extend one created by another Mourinho stumble.
Sunday also brings Celta Vigo against Málaga, Getafe against Deportivo La Coruña and Real Sociedad against Atlético Madrid.
Monday’s Villarreal-Real Betis fixture completes Matchday 5.
For the full Spanish football picture, follow The Sports Encounter’s soccer coverage as the early La Liga table continues to take shape.
The Sports Encounter Verdict
Real Madrid produced Saturday’s headline, but Racing may have produced its most revealing result.
Mourinho’s team were expected to respond at home after losing to Betis. They did so emphatically, and Mbappé ensured his missed penalty from the previous round did not linger over another week.
Racing had a more difficult assignment. They fell behind against a team that had taken 10 points from four matches, recovered through Zabiri and then protected the lead after going down to 10 men.
Espanyol showed another route to three points. Their best football came early, when Roberto Fernández punished Osasuna twice, but the defensive work required to preserve that advantage was equally important.
Athletic leave with the frustration. Their demolition of Atlético suggested they were ready to build momentum. Elche reminded them that controlling a match and solving it are different challenges.
Four matches cannot complete the story of Matchday 5.
They have changed its shape.
Madrid have put pressure back on Barcelona. Alavés have lost their unbeaten record. Espanyol have climbed out of an uncomfortable sequence. Racing have another reason to believe they belong in La Liga.
Now Sunday gets its turn.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were Saturday’s La Liga results on September 12, 2026?
Racing Santander beat Deportivo Alavés 2-1, Espanyol defeated Osasuna 2-0, Athletic Club drew 1-1 with Elche, and Real Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 4-1.
Who scored for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano?
Kylian Mbappé scored twice, while Álvaro Carreras and Jude Bellingham also scored in Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory.
How many goals did Kylian Mbappé score against Rayo?
Mbappé scored two goals, including a first-half penalty and a second goal in the 90th minute.
Did Real Madrid move level with Barcelona?
Yes. Real Madrid moved onto 12 points after beating Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona also had 12 points but still had their Sunday match against Levante to play.
Who ended Alavés’ unbeaten start?
Racing Santander ended Alavés’ unbeaten opening to the season with a 2-1 victory at El Sardinero.
Who scored Racing Santander’s goals against Alavés?
Yassir Zabiri scored both Racing goals after Ville Koski had given Alavés the lead.
Who scored for Espanyol against Osasuna?
Roberto Fernández scored both goals as Espanyol won 2-0 at El Sadar.
How many league goals does Roberto Fernández have?
Roberto Fernández has five La Liga goals after scoring twice against Osasuna.
What happened in Athletic Club vs Elche?
The match finished 1-1. Facundo Buonanotte put Elche ahead from the penalty spot before a Víctor Chust own goal brought Athletic level.
Which La Liga Matchday 5 games are still to come?
Sunday features Celta Vigo-Málaga, Levante-Barcelona, Getafe-Deportivo La Coruña and Real Sociedad-Atlético Madrid. Villarreal host Real Betis on Monday.
