Real Madrid claimed a 3-0 La Liga win at newly-promoted Real Oviedo, with Kylian Mbappe scoring in each half before Vinicius added a late third to seal the match.
For Oviedo, returning to Spain’s top flight after an absence of almost a quarter of a century, the arrival of the 15-time European champions on Sunday was a gala occasion, and the Asturian fans made their presence heard.
Coach Xabi Alonso made a couple of notable changes to his starting lineup from Madrid’s opening 1-0 win against Osasuna, dropping Vinicius and Trent Alexander-Arnold for Rodrygo Goes and club captain Dani Carvajal, returning from injury.
But the dropped Vinicius responded by producing an assist and a goal in his half-hour cameo.
Argentinian teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono made his full debut in another change for Los Blancos.
The 18-year-old showed his explosive dribbling ability early on, when he burst past two defenders into the Oviedo box before going down and looking appealingly at the uninterested referee.
A rare foray forward by the hosts saw Leander Dendoncker run onto a through ball and try to catch Thibaut Courtois out with a chipped effort in the 23rd minute. The Belgian shot-stopper beat a hasty retreat before easily plucking the ball from the sky.
Madrid came close to forcing a breakthrough when an Arda Guler drive from inside the box was excellently saved by goalkeeper Aaron Escandell.
The Turkish international turned provider as he drilled a pass into Mbappe’s feet on 37 minutes, which the Frenchman welcomed on the turn before firing across Escandell.
The goal was met by furious protests from the home side after Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni seemed to follow through strongly on Dendoncker when winning possession back for his side in the build-up, but the goal stood.
Madrid nearly doubled their lead five minutes into the second period, when a defensive mix-up resulted in a clearance sliced straight into the hands of a grateful Escandell.
Rodrygo and the lively Mastantuono made way for Vinicius and Brahim Diaz just after the hour.
Diaz immediately created a gilt-edged chance for the galloping Fede Valverde when his cushioned pass found the Uruguayan inside the box, but Escandell produced a fingertip save to keep the score at 1-0.
Kwasi Sibo came within inches of sending the home support wild when, out of nowhere, he struck the post for Oviedo, with Courtois rooted to the spot, on 81 minutes.
That chance served to wake Madrid up. Vinicius Jr won the ball two minutes later, and drove forward towards the box before slipping a disguised pass to Mbappe, who slotted home first time.
The Brazilian then scored in the 93rd minute, when Diaz found him in space, and he slipped home a composed finish.
Real Madrid boss Alonso said he enjoyed the game and praised his richly talented squad.
“We have more than 20 players in the squad. All of them need to feel important. I make decisions that are good for the team,” he told DAZN when asked why Vinicious Jr had started on the bench.
“Little by little, we are seeing what we’re doing well and what we need to work on. The feelings are good.”
Real Oviedo goalkeeper Escandell lamented the “mistakes” his side made when he spoke to DAZN after the match.
“In the first half, we didn’t compete as we thought we could. Against these teams, mistakes come at a high price,” he said. “I want to thank the fans, who I believe set a record attendance.”
Elsewhere, Villarreal hammered Girona 5-0 at home as new signing Tajon Buchanan netted a hat-trick to open his La Liga account.
A second consecutive defeat to start the season leaves Girona, who played Champions League football last season, bottom of the table, with seven goals conceded and zero scored.
Real Sociedad fought back from being 2-0 down at half-time in the Basque Country to earn a point against Espanyol.
Pere Milla and Javi Puado gave the Catalans the lead, before Ander Barrenetxea and Orri Oskarsson hit back for Sociedad in eight second-half minutes.
Meanwhile, Ante Budimir’s ninth-minute goal gave Osasuna a 1-0 win over the 10-man Valencia.
