Gonzalo Garcia inspires Real Madrid to thumping victory in first match of 2026

Real Madrid 5-1 Real Betis

Real Madrid have kicked off 2026 in fine fashion, having seen off Real Betis in convincing fashion at the Bernabeu.

Kylian Mbappe was ruled out for this match due to a knee injury, but Real Madrid did not miss him in the opening stages. It was his replacement that broke the deadlock on 20 minutes, with Rodrygo Goes’ freekick headed home at the back post by Gonzalo Garcia. The ball was moving away from the young striker, but he headed back across goal, which left Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles with no chance.

It was a fine moment for Gonzalo to score his first La Liga goal, and another came five minutes into the second half. He took down Fede Valverde’s cross before unleashing an unstoppable volley from the edge of the box that got the Bernabeu crowd off their seats in record time.

Not long after, it became 3-0. Rodrygo, who produced another excellent performance, delivered a corner perfectly on the head of Raul Asencio, who made no mistake for his first goal of the season. However, Betis would find a goal back of their own when Cucho Hernandez scored to make it 3-1 after a stunning assist from Aitor Ruibal.

That gave Real Madrid a scare, but they recovered. Gonzalo completed his hattrick on 82 minutes with an exquisite backheel finish, and with the final kick of the match, substitute Fran Garcia turned home Valverde’s delivery to make it 5-1.

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Real Madrid could not have asked for a better start to 2026. 2025 was a tough year for Los Blancos, but already, there are signs that things will be better over the course of the next 12 months – and if Gonzalo keeps up this form, Kylian Mbappe will find it difficult to make his way back into the starting line-up.

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