Kylian Mbappe’s first two goals in La Liga helped Real Madrid claim a much-needed victory over Real Betis on Sunday night.
Los Blancos had fallen behind Barcelona in the title race after drawing two of their opening three games but the France captain raced through to finish in the 67th minute before converting a penalty when Vinicius Junior was taken out by goalkeeper Rui Silva.
The result takes Madrid back up to second, four points behind Clasico rivals Barca at the top.
How the game unfolded
A quiet start eventually sparked into life when Betis stopper Silva was forced into an impressive save. Rodrygo’s corner dipped for Eder Militao, whose dangerous header was arching towards goal before Silva pushed it away from danger.
There remained some spluttering in the Madrid attack, with Vinicius and Mbappe frequently wanting to attack from similar areas on the pitch, but there were also moments of good link-up between the two world-class performers. Mbappe turned past two defenders before finding Vinicius and charging into the box himself, though the 25-year-old couldn’t quite get on the end of the cross.
Rodrygo was involved in another near-miss for Madrid, getting to the byline before seeing his shot get tangled up in the side-netting moments before the half-time whistle blew.
Mbappe sent a wild effort over the bar from just eight yards out after the start of the second half, but he spared his own blushes while becoming Madrid’s match-winner by scoring his first two goals in La Liga.
The opener eventually came in the 67th minute courtesy of a deft Federico Valverde back-heel. That neat flick helped Mbappe race clear and finish confidently, sending the Bernabeu into raptures.
Substitute Brahim Diaz played a role in the first goal and did so again for the second strike. The Morocco international weaved through midfield and played in Vinicius who sprinted through on goal, touching the ball beyond Silva and going down. The incident was initially ignored for offside, but the video assistant referee soon intervened and a penalty was awarded.
Mbappe stepped up, unlike last time out against Las Palmas when Vinicius took the spot-kick, but the end result was the same as the summer signing bagged his second goal of the night to wrap up all three points.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 7/10 – Didn’t make loads of saves but had to be constantly aware and did enough to deserve his clean sheet.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 5/10 – Didn’t have the most enjoyable evening against Abde Ezzalzouli and eventually talked his way into a yellow card.
CB: Eder Militao – 7/10 – Looked a real danger in the attacking third from set pieces but did his job at the other end well, using his body whenever Betis tried to catch him or Rudiger off guard.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 7/10 – Rarely came out of a duel on the losing side, keeping Madrid penned in Betis’ half.
LB: Ferland Mendy – 7/10 – Didn’t lose a ground duel and successfully won three tackles.
CM: Federico Valverde – 7/10 – Provided a sublime assist for Mbappe’s first goal and, as ever, did not stop running.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10 – Was always on hand to mop up any loose ball in midfield and protected Militao and Rudiger with some good wins in the air, too.
RW: Rodrygo – 7/10 – Whipped in some dangerous set pieces and was dangerous running with the ball at his feet, even though the scoring opportunity never quite dropped for him.
AM: Dani Ceballos – 6/10 – Handed something of a surprise start, Ceballos was neat and tidy without offering too much in either box.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 8/10 – His incessant running was a constant thorn in Betis’ back, eventually winning Madrid the chance to go 2-0 up which Mbappe took.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – 9/10 – Struck for the first time in La Liga by finishing smartly from Valverde’s flick before converting his penalty. He’ll be netting a lot more in the top flight before he leaves Spain.
Substitutes
SUB: Brahim Diaz (65′ for Ceballos) – 7/10
SUB: Fran Garcia (66′ for Mendy) – 6/10
SUB: Luka Modric (85′ for Mbappe) – N/A
SUB: Endrick (89′ for Rodrygo) – N/A
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Arda Guler, Endrick, Lucas Vazquez, Fran Gonzalez, Jacobo Ramon.
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti – 6/10 – It looks like he may need to figure out how to get the best out of Vinicius and Mbappe while making sure they don’t play in the same places, but a win’s a win and Ancelotti will be content with that for now.
Player of the match: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
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