Jude Bellingham led Real Madrid to a 3-0 away victory over Girona on Saturday, the early-season wonder in the Spanish league, giving Girona a reality check.
A six-game winning streak had let Girona enter the round unbeaten and atop the standings for the first time in the club’s history.
However, Bellingham gave Madrid a chance to win by providing a wonderful pass for Joselu Mato’s goal in the 17th minute. Following an immediate double by Aurélien Tchouaméni, Bellingham completed the scoring with his league-high sixth goal in eight games.
Madrid moved ahead of Girona and Barcelona in the standings. Madrid, under Carlo Ancelotti, now leads Girona and Barcelona by two points each.
The early lead belonged to Girona, which is partially owned by Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership, before Bellingham once more demonstrated why Madrid paid a high price to sign the 20-year-old England player from Borussia Dortmund this summer.
In the first five minutes, Yangel Herrera and Artem Dovbyk both had headers that went over the bar but missed the goal, giving Girona two chances to score.
When it was Bellingham’s turn, he maneuvered a pass past three players with the outside edge of his right boot before connecting with Joselu to the far post, where the striker scored. Paulo Gazzaniga, the goalkeeper, attempted to block the shot with his gloves but was unsuccessful.
