Kylian Mbappe ended his La Liga goal drought in spectacular fashion, scoring twice in less than ten minutes to lead Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Mbappe, Real Madrid’s marquee signing this season, had previously only scored once in the team’s UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta last month and had failed to find the net in his first three Spanish league appearances.
“I was looking forward to scoring in this legendary stadium, the best in the world,” Mbappe said after the match. “But the most important thing was the victory.”
The French forward broke the deadlock in the 67th minute with a low left-footed shot from inside the area, following a clever backheel pass from Federico Valverde. Just eight minutes later, Mbappe doubled the lead by confidently converting a penalty after Vinicius Junior was fouled inside the box.
The victory was crucial for Real Madrid, who had drawn two of their first three league games, with their only win coming against Valladolid at the Bernabeu. This result moves the defending champions four points behind leaders Barcelona, the only team to have won all four games to start the season.
“After the game against Las Palmas we knew that we had to win and we did it,” Mbappe added. “It was a tough match, but we are Real Madrid and in the end we won it.”
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti dismissed any notions of pressure on Mbappe to end his league scoring drought. “For him it was important to score, but we evaluate the work of the team as a whole, which was better than in the previous match. It was a step forward,” Ancelotti said.
The defeat leaves Real Betis winless after three matches, having drawn their opening two games. Under manager Manuel Pellegrini, the Seville-based club will be looking to turn their fortunes around in the coming weeks.
Brazilian forward Vitor Roque made a second-half appearance for Betis. Roque is on loan from Madrid’s rivals Barcelona and is seen as a promising talent for the future.
Real Madrid have now gone five consecutive league games without conceding at the Bernabeu, a first since 1996. They are unbeaten in their last 26 home league matches, recording 22 wins and four draws, marking the best run under Ancelotti’s management.
However, with just five points from their first three games, this marks Madrid’s worst start to a league campaign since the 2019-20 season, when they ultimately won the competition.
Despite a slow start to the season, Real Madrid’s victory over Betis could signal a resurgence, especially with Mbappe finding his scoring touch in La Liga.
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Kylian Mbappe ends La Liga scoring drought for Real to beat Betis
cgtn.com
