Kolkata: This was Kylian Mbappe’s second position in a week. And the French superstar failed for the second time in a week. After missing a penalty kick against Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League, Wednesday’s La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao was practically a rerun. The reigning champions suffered their fourth defeat in the previous seven games in all competitions, falling to a 2-1 loss. Like Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher a few nights prior, Julen Agirrezabala dived to his left to save this at a comfortable right. Real Madrid would have equalized on both occasions, but they lost both games.
Mbappe, who has missed two of his five penalties for Real Madrid across all competitions, put on another lackluster display. He is now the La Liga player who has failed to convert the most penalties this season. Mbappe came with high hopes of enhancing a fantastic Real Madrid club that had won both the La Liga and the Champions League the previous season, but he has been a shadow of his former self, seeming hesitant and out of step with the rest of the group. In Real Madrid’s 21 games across all competitions, he has scored 10 goals, but just seven of them have come in open play.
After defender Antonio Rudiger was fouled 15 minutes later, Mbappe had a fantastic opportunity to equalize from the penalty spot after Alex Berenguer gave the home team the lead in the 53rd minute. But Agirrezabala easily palmed the effort away after the French forward hit another poor shot. Jude Bellingham gave Real Madrid an equalizer in the 78th minute. Still, Gorka Guruzeta scored the game-winning goal past Thibaut Courtois a minute later after Federico Valverde made a poor error.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti stated that we need to give him time to get used to Real Madrid. He has ten goals to his name and is putting in a lot of effort to get better. I have yet to speak with him. The game was competitive, hard-fought, and complex. We failed to get a penalty. I don’t use a missed penalty to judge a player’s performance. You miss occasionally and score other times. He is depressed and dissatisfied, but we must continue.
