Real Madrid beats RB Leipzig 4-1 as Mbappé scores

Kylian Mbappé scored as Real Madrid beat RB Leipzig 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, for a third straight win in the UEFA Champions League.

Bernardo Silva gave Madrid the lead just before halftime, and Arda Güler doubled it in the 52nd minute. ESPN’s match data credited Mbappé with the assist on Güler’s goal.

Mbappé made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute. Leipzig substitute Tidiam Gomis pulled one back two minutes later, but Yan Diomande restored the three-goal cushion in the 87th.

The late goal came against his former club. Madrid announced on Aug. 6 that it had agreed to sign Diomande from Leipzig on a contract through June 2033, a deal first reported in July. He came on as a substitute on Wednesday.

UEFA named Mbappé the player of the match. Romanian referee István Kovács took charge in front of 73,016 fans, according to UEFA. No player was sent off.

Madrid’s starting lineup included Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Vinícius Júnior, with Thibaut Courtois in goal, according to UEFA. Leipzig started Christopher Nkunku and Antonio Nusa in attack, but the German club could not find a way past Courtois until Gomis scored late. Mbappé was coming off a World Cup summer in North America with France.

The win leaves Madrid fourth in the 36-team league-phase table with nine points, level with Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Real Betis, according to UEFA’s standings. Leipzig has one win and two losses and is tied for 29th with three points.

The top eight clubs after the eight-match league phase advance directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th go into a knockout playoff round, and the bottom 12 are eliminated.

Madrid visits AEK Athens on Nov. 4 at 12:45 p.m. ET (10:45 a.m. MT). Leipzig hosts Manchester City the same day at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. MT).

Champions League matches are streamed in Canada on DAZN, which holds the competition’s Canadian rights through the 2026-27 season.

Via UEFA and ESPN.

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