Real Madrid suffered an unexpected 2-1 loss to Athletic Club on Matchday 15 of the Spanish La Liga, adding to the list of declining performances this season. Goals from Alex Berenguer and Gorka Guruzeta earned Athletic Club a memorable win at the Estadio de San Mamés.
Kylian Mbappe is again making the headlines for bad press, after missing a crucial penalty during the loss. The French forward previously missed his penalty in their UEFA Champions League defeat to Liverpool, citing a lack of confidence and the amounting pressure dive joint Real Madrid. With Vinicius Jnr still absent due to injury, Jude Bellingham took and scored the last penalty in the game against Getafe, following the sequence of penalty rotations in Carlo Ancellotti’s team.
The first half of the game was dominated by Real Madrid, but the score was still goalless at the break. Mbappe thought he scored the opener 15 minutes into the game, but his goal was flagged offside and VAR looked further into a possible penalty in the box after Andoni Gorosabel fouled Rodrygo. VAR has called the referee to the screen but he waves away the penalty and the game continues.
Alex Berenguer opened the scoring for the home side eight minutes into the second half. Inaki Williams made a great delivery into the box, which flew past Real Madrid's backline and reached Sancet, who was unable to get a toe on it. Thibaut Courtois blocks the cross but Alex Berenguer is there to stab home and give the home fans something to cheer for. Minutes later, Julen Agirrezabala clatters into Antonio Rudiger as he comes to punch out Rodrygo's free-kick, handing Real Madrid a penalty. The goal-stopper redeemed himself and the team with a quick dive to the left to stop Kylian Mbappe’s attempt which lost his clinical shot power.
Jude Bellingham appeared to salvage a point for Real Madrid in the 78th minute, but Gorka Guruzeta sealed an 80th-minute winner for the hosts. The English midfielder was at the right spot to tap in a shot after Julen Agirrezabala carried away Kylian Mbappe’s shot from outside the box. Just after kick-off, the home side made an immediate press and took the lead again with an embarrassing defensive error. Federico Valverde was rushed and dispossessed by Gorka Guruzeta, the substitute charged at Courtois and slotted home from close range to win it for Athletico Club.
Real Madrid lost vital points in the La Liga title race in the game. After coming a point closer to Barcelona in the previous fixture, they have fallen four points behind following Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over Mallorca on Tuesday night. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, sits behind Los Blancos with a point, looking to dispose of the two Spanish giants from the top spot. Athletic Club’s victory has surged them into a UEFA Champions League spot ahead of Villareal. Ernesto Valvede’s team will look towards maintaining this momentum when they face a challenging match against Villarreal on Sunday, December 8, before traveling to Fenerbahce for a UEFA Europa League clash.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will visit Girona this weekend in La Liga, followed by an away fixture against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League. All attention now shifts from Real Madrid’s general problems with injury and towards Kylian Mbappe's declining form. A goal in Madrid’s win over Getafe over the weekend gave fans a glimpse of hope to expect better from the French forward in the coming games, especially since he will be bossing his favorite left-wing forward position with Vinicius Jnr sidelined.
Mbappe might have not had an all-bad game, but the penalty miss which has caused Madrid the game will surely be held over his shoulders. All players miss from the spot, but great ones come through when needed the most. Mbappe has scored just three times in his last 11 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid. It’s not a bad record when looking at the stats at a broader range. He has scored ten goals in 20 matches, three of those coming from the spot. The last player to have attained this stat in his first few games in Madrid colors was Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2009.
At the post-match conference, Ancelotti disagreed with a journalist’s claim that Mbappe did not look like 1% of the player he was at Paris Saint-Germain but insisted that he has room for improvement. "It's much more than 1%. He is not at his best level, but you have to give him time to adapt. He has scored 10 goals and is working to do better.”
"I haven't spoken to him. It was a complicated match – even, fought, competitive. When we equalized we could think of having control and small details penalized us tonight. We missed the penalty. I don't have to evaluate a player's game because of a penalty that is sometimes scored and sometimes missed. He is sad and disappointed, but we have to continue. Vinicius has usually taken a lot of penalties and all of them are good. The ones who take penalties are three: Mbappe, Bellingham, and Vinicius."
Speaking on the mistake that cost the Spanish giants the game, the Italian coach highlighted no blame or shame in Valvede’s role;
"He made a mistake, but you don't have to touch him. Fede [Valverde] is a great player. Mistakes in football are made, like everyone else. We have to look at the next game." Valvede’s mistake which cost Los Blancos a point might be forgotten in a hurry, but situations like crucial penalties missed in both losing games by a star like Kylian Mbappe will stick in the memories of fans, who would expect the absolute best from the Frenchman to reignite their hopes.
Upcoming Real Madrid Matches
It’s going to be an intense footballing month for Los Blancos in their domestic competitions, European competition, and now at the World competition.
Looking forward, Real Madrid would need to be on their best performances in the coming games to defend the championships they fought fiercely for last season. With the FIFA Intercontinental Cup joining the mix, they would be wary of more player rotations to avoid more setbacks due to injury while still competing at the highest possible level. Los Blancos sit at the last playoff spot in the Champions League and need at least two victories from their final three games to be certain of qualification. Here is a list of Real Madrid’s upcoming matches;
Girona vs. Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga. Saturday, 7th December, Kick-off: 20:00) Atalanta vs. Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League - Group Stage. Tuesday, 10th December, Kick-off: 20:00) Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga. Saturday, 14th December, Kick-off: 20:00) Real Madrid vs. TBC (FIFA Intercontinental Cup - Final. Wednesday, 18th December, Kick-off: 17:00) Real Madrid vs. Sevilla (Spanish La Liga. Sunday, 22nd December, Kick-off: 15:15) Girona vs. Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga, Saturday, 7th December, Kick-off: 20:00) Atalanta vs. Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League - Group Stage, Tuesday, 10th December, Kick-off: 20:00) Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga, Saturday, 14th December, Kick-off: 20:00) Real Madrid vs. TBC (FIFA Intercontinental Cup - Final, Wednesday, 18th December, Kick-off: 17:00) Real Madrid vs. Sevilla (Spanish La Liga, Sunday, 22nd December, Kick-off: 15:15) Real Madrid vs. Mallorca (Super Cup - Semi-finals, Thursday, 9th January, Kick-off: 19:00) Real Madrid vs. Las Palmas (Spanish La Liga, Sunday, 19th January, Kick-off: TBC) Real Madrid vs. Red Bull Salzburg (UEFA Champions League - Group Stage, Wednesday, 22nd January, Kick-off: 20:00) Real Valladolid vs. Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga, Sunday, 26th January, Kick-off: TBC) Brest vs. Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League - Group Stage, Wednesday, 29th January, Kick-off: 20:00)