Real Madrid left it late but eventually broke down nine-man Getafe in a chaotic LaLiga encounter at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s late strike.
For much of the evening, it looked as though Xabi Alonso’s side might endure another frustrating night in front of goal.
Despite dominating possession, Los Blancos found Getafe stubborn and resilient, their low block holding firm under increasing pressure from Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
The French superstar was lively from the outset, forcing David Soria into an early save and remaining Madrid’s most consistent threat throughout the first half.
Bellingham and Rodrygo both went close, while David Alaba’s curling free-kick just before the interval forced a scrambling stop from Soria as the sides went in goalless.
Getafe, meanwhile, had fleeting moments of danger on the counter, most notably when Alex Sancris fired narrowly wide after a set-piece broke loose.
Their captain Djene, making his 300th appearance, led by example with a series of key interventions to keep Madrid at bay.
Alonso turned to his bench early in the second half, introducing Vinicius Junior and Arda Guler to inject pace and creativity – and the changes soon shifted the momentum.
Vinicius immediately unsettled Getafe’s backline, drawing fouls and yellow cards from Kiko Femenia and Sancris as tempers began to flare.
The hosts’ discipline then completely unravelled in the space of just a few minutes. Femenia, already on a booking, was withdrawn for Allan Nyom – but the substitute’s cameo lasted mere seconds before he was shown a straight red card for a reckless off-the-ball challenge on Vinicius.
Only moments after Nyom’s dismissal, Guler threaded a precise through ball into Mbappe’s path. The Frenchman spun away from his marker and unleashed an unstoppable right-footed strike into the top-left corner, finally beating Soria and sending the visiting fans into raptures.
Things went from bad to worse for the hosts when Sancris, already booked, received a second red card for a petulant off-the-ball incident involving Vinicius, reducing Getafe to nine men for the closing stages.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, they almost salvaged an improbable equaliser deep into stoppage time when substitute Abu Kamara forced Thibaut Courtois into a brilliant reflex save to preserve Madrid’s lead.
