Real Madrid's Sixth Straight Win: Ruthless at Racing, but the Penalty Lingers

Real Madrid's 3-0 win at Racing Santander on 1 November was their fourth successive LaLiga victory and a sixth win in a row across all competitions. Kylian Mbappé opened from the penalty spot in the 11th minute, Jude Bellingham doubled the lead on 21 minutes with his 50th goal for the club in 154 games in all competitions, and Yan Diomande added a third on 36 minutes. By the interval, the contest was effectively over.

The run now reads: Villarreal, Roma, Sevilla, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Racing. Eighteen goals scored, six conceded. Real Madrid moved back to within three points of league leaders Barcelona, and Racing's unbeaten home record ended.

Mbappé went down under little contact before converting, and the award has been described as questionable and extremely generous. José Mourinho, the Real Madrid head coach, addressed two controversial penalty calls afterwards without fully endorsing either, saying critics "protest everything" and that "there are a lot of people who don't know the rules." That is not a defence of the decision so much as a dismissal of the argument around it.

This matters because the game's shape depended on it. An early goal against a side that had chosen to attack rather than sit deep forced Racing to keep committing bodies forward. Once the game opened up, they became easy prey. The penalty did not decide the match on its own, but it removed the option of caution.

The raw numbers show a Madrid side far more aggressive than in their earlier matches this season. They took 22 shots here against an average of 14.0 across their earlier 2026/27 matches in all competitions. They had 47 touches in the opposition box against an average of 32.6. Their expected goals was 3.45 against an average of 2.03, with 2.39 of that from open play against an average of 1.65.

Racing, meanwhile, had 46 per cent possession, 10 shots, one on target, no big chances and 1.15 expected goals. They traded blows rather than defending the box, and the gap in quality told. Madrid's five big chances to Racing's none is the cleanest summary of the night.

Yet the scoreline and the shot count do not tell quite the same story. Madrid scored three, all before half-time, from 3.45 expected goals. The chance creation did not continue at the same rate after the break, and the game was managed rather than pursued. That is not a criticism of a side 3-0 up away from home; it is simply what the numbers show.

Bellingham's goal was his first since September, and his 50th for the club. Whether that marks a return to scoring form or a single contribution in a comfortable win is a question the coming weeks will settle.

More broadly, Madrid have now won six in a row, but the manner has varied. Against Barcelona it was a 2-1 away win; here it was a first-half demolition aided by an early penalty and an opponent willing to leave space. Barcelona and Atlético Madrid meet the following Sunday, a result that could further strengthen Madrid's position.

Mourinho's side have momentum and a favourable table. What they do not yet have is a run of performances in which the process and the points return match as neatly as the 22 shots and 3.45 expected goals suggest they might. The penalty debate will fade. The question of whether this team can sustain the streak without such a helpful opening will not.