Kylian Mbappe had to endure another harrowing night in Real Madrid colours as the Galacticos suffered a brutal 0-2 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
On a miserable night for the Spaniards, now 24th in the 36-team competition and in danger of missing the knockouts, Mbappe was well-shackled and also missed a penalty that would have drawn Real level against the run of play in the second half.
The home side could have run away with the game in the first half, as Darwin Nunez had three glorious chances but found Courtois in formidable form. The biggest cheer of the first half came when right back Conor Bradley produced a stunning tackle to stop Mbappe’s marauding run towards goal.
In the second half, after Mbappe’s weak penalty was saved by Kelleher, Salah brought some respite for the Frenchman and more gasps from the crowd when he sent his spot kick wide of the post. Amidst a woeful night, Mbappe’s constant tussles with Liverpool’s backline made for viral clips on social media.
Van Dijk vs Mbappe 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/hjmlmNMElC
— ICONIC SPORTS MOMENTS (@iconicssm) November 27, 2024
After having set the pace initially, Mbappe was neutralised first by Conor Bradley, whose sliding tackle swept the Real Madrid talisman off his feet. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk soon added to Mbappe’s misery with a brawny takedown that sent him tumbling down and over his head.
Despite the lacklustre showing, Mbappe has found backing from manager Carlo Ancelotti and teammate Jude Bellingham.
That Conor Bradley tackle on Mbappé 😤#UCL
pic.twitter.com/UNEMUtXw5a— Mohammed (@ZAJD011) November 27, 2024
“It’s a difficult moment for him, we’ve got to support him and give him our love, he’ll soon be fine,” Ancelotti said.
“It could be a lack of confidence maybe. Sometimes you have moments when things aren’t quite working out for you. People miss penalties, it happens a lot. You can’t put too much grief on him for that. He works hard, he’s got to keep working hard and fighting. We’ve got be patient. He’s an extraordinary player,” Ancelotti added.
“He (Mbappe) is a wonderful player but the pressure on him because of how good he is is huge. The penalty is not why we lost the game. They performed better than us. I know that he will produce many more moments that will be huge for this club,” remarked Bellingham.
– With Reuters inputs
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