Real Madrid didn’t wait around. By the time the halftime whistle blew at the Santiago Bernabeu on August 30, 2026, the scoreboard already read 3-0, and Malaga looked like a team that had wandered into the wrong neighborhood.
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 19th minute, Alfonso Herrero gifted Madrid a second with an own goal in the 26th, and Kylian Mbappe put the finishing touch on a ruthless first half in the 30th minute, assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Three goals in eleven minutes. The second half was essentially a formality.
A masterclass in first-half efficiency
Bellingham set the tone early. The Englishman’s goal in the 19th minute was the kind of opener that takes the air out of a visiting side before they’ve had a chance to settle. For Malaga, newly returned to La Liga for the 2026/27 season, it was a harsh welcome back to the top flight.
Things got worse seven minutes later. Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero turned the ball into his own net in the 26th minute, extending Madrid’s lead to two.
