Kylian Mbappé, the highly anticipated addition to Real Madrid’s lineup, finally broke his La Liga goal drought with a brace in a 2-0 victory over Real Betis on Sunday, CNN reports.
The win lifted Real Madrid to second place in the table, alleviating pressure after a slow start to the season.
Despite a goalless first half, where he missed two decent chances, Mbappé delivered a decisive performance in the second period. He capitalized on a brilliant backheel pass from Federico Valverde to score his first goal at the Bernabéu, marking his long-awaited debut goal in La Liga. Less than 10 minutes later, Mbappé converted a penalty, securing the win for Real Madrid.
“I was looking forward to scoring in this legendary stadium, the best in the world, but the most important thing was the win,” the 25-year-old Frenchman stated, acknowledging the team’s victory as the priority. He added, “Following the game in Las Palmas [which ended 1-1], we knew we had to win and we did just that. It was a tough game, like every game, but we are Real Madrid and we got the win in the end.”
While expectations are high for Real Madrid this season, the team has faced challenges early on, including injuries to key players Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga. Despite being four points behind rival Barcelona, the win against Betis signifies a step in the right direction.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti described the match as a “happy day.” “We’re not anxious or frustrated. We’re very excited and motivated to try to do better. We deserved to win today and we played better and with more cohesion between everyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the season with a resounding 7-0 victory over Real Valladolid on Saturday. Raphinha led the charge with a hat-trick, his first for Barcelona, while Robert Lewandowski, Jules Koundé, Dani Olmo, and Ferrán Torres also contributed to the dominant performance.
