THAT'S THE WAY TO DEUX IT

Kylian Mbappe scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in the Spanish league on Wednesday.

Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as it moved back within a point of Barcelona, which beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday.

Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic and Atletico will be playing in the Spanish Super Cup in January in Saudi Arabia.

Madrid was coming off consecutive league draws at Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was Madrid's second win in its last six matches across all competitions.

"It was important, after three away draws, to get back to winning on the road," Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said. "The team came out to play and win the match from the first minute, with good focus, intensity and rhythm. It was probably our best match this season.

"After (last weekend's) draw at Girona, we knew it was a big moment, and, after getting it out of our system, we'll start thinking about Sunday's match against Celta (Vigo).

"The calendar is very demanding, and you can't think for too long about things — the good moments or the bad ones."

Mbappe has scored seven goals in his last three matches in all competitions. He scored once against Girona and netted four times at Olympiacos in Los Blancos' 4-3 Champions League win last week.

The France star has 30 goals in 24 appearances between club and country this season, and is the leading scorer in both the Spanish league (16 goals) and the Champions League (nine goals).

"Kylian's in great form, he scored two great goals today, with the movement he had, the connection with (Vinicius Junior) was very good, and the team came out to play from the first minute, to win the game," added Alonso.

Mbappe scored his first in a seventh-minute breakaway, picking up the ball near midfield and clearing a couple of defenders before finding the net from the edge of the area.

Thibaut Courtois was forced into a superb save after being tested by a well-placed effort from Alex Berenguer on 30 minutes, following a brilliant assist from Spain international Nico Williams.

But, Camavinga tightened Madrid's grip on the match with a header from close range in the 42nd thanks to a beautifully headed assist from Mbappe.

Camavinga had to be replaced in the 69th minute with an apparent injury, alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, who left the field in the 55th.

Shortly after that, Mbappe rounded off the scoring with a sumptuous dipping shot into the bottom left corner from nearly 30 yards out in the 59th minute.

"At times, I think to myself: 'How lucky I am to have him on my team and not have to face him, except maybe against France'," said Belgian international Courtois. "He's unstoppable, we really enjoy watching him play."

He is clearly proving to be a menace to deal with for defenses all over Europe at the moment, and in an interview with Marca published this week, Dutch former Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder is already tipping the French star for Ballon d'Or contention.

"With the way it's going now, I'm pretty sure Mbappe will win it next season, 100 percent," he told the Spanish sports daily.

"Besides, he's become a true striker; he performs better than he did on the wing. Real doesn't need a player like (Erling) Haaland," he added.

He also addressed the reported rift between Alonso and Vinicius, which has been bubbling since the latter reacted angrily to being subbed off during Madrid's Clasico victory on Oct 26, and led to the Brazilian supposedly telling club bosses that he was reluctant to renew his contract.

"If you're a good coach, you'll know how to handle this," Sneijder said. "Tell him: 'Vini, listen. It's not right. Don't ever do it again. For now, it's ok, but not in the next game. I have all my confidence in you, but there are times I have to take you off.'"

Hence, all eyes were trained on the touchline when Vinicius' number was displayed on the electronic board in the 78th minute.

Alonso, however, got a warm embrace from Vinicius as he left the field, suggesting there has been a thaw in their frosty standoff.

Meanwhile, Athletic defender Inigo Lekue was left to mull his side's fortunes, as it sits in eighth place and has only two wins in its last eight matches.

"They were stronger than us," he admitted. "We tried to play our game and couldn't, no matter what we did."

Agencies