SpainStriker Kylian Mbappe had the worst start to a season of his career, remaining silent as Real drew 1-1 at Las Palmas in round three of La Liga.
On the Gran Canaria field on the evening of August 29, Mbappe continued to play as a center forward. Supporting the French striker were the trio of Vinicius, Luka Modric, Brahim Diaz, while Rodrygo was on the bench and Jude Bellingham was injured.
Mbappe played the full 90 minutes, touched the ball 48 times with a passing accuracy of 85%, shot five times with two on target and lost the ball 12 times. The 2018 World Cup champion was criticized by the website Sofa Score scored 6.9 points, only higher than Brahim Diaz (6.4) and Ferland Mendy (6.6) on the away team.
Mbappe shoots during Real’s 1-1 draw with Las Palmas at Gran Canaria Stadium, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, on August 29, in the third round of La Liga on August 29. Photo: realmadrid.com
Despite playing as the highest striker, Mbappe’s most memorable shots came from outside the box. In the 29th minute, the French striker received the ball from midfield, sprinted to the edge of the box, and shot past a Las Palmas player before being caught by goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.
In the 55th minute, Mbappe continued to drop deep and received the ball outside the penalty area. The 25-year-old striker turned to his right foot and fired a cannon from 25 meters away, which was blocked by the Las Palmas goalkeeper. Vinicius rushed in to head the rebound, but it missed the post.
Through the first three rounds of La Liga, Mbappe has had more shots than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, with 17. But he also has the worst expected goals-to-goals ratio (1.8 xG) and goals scored (0). Mbappe has also failed to score in his opening three league games for the first time since he began his professional career at Monaco in 2015-16.
Mbappe was angry after his shot was unsuccessful in Real’s 1-1 draw with Las Palmas at Gran Canaria Stadium, Las Palmas, Canary Islands on August 29. Photo: AP
Mbappe joined Real on a free transfer this summer, signing a five-year contract with the option of a further year. The French forward has scored just one goal in four appearances for Real – a close-range strike that sealed a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the European Super Cup.
Yesterday, Las Palmas surprisingly opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Alberto Moleiro received the ball in the penalty area, beat both Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao and then shot diagonally past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Moleiro scored after a series of 14 passes, only after Iago Aspas scored against Alaves with 18 passes, in La Liga this season.
On a day when Mbappe was in the dark, Real were saved by a penalty. In the 67th minute, substitute Arda Guler pushed the ball to Alex Suarez’s hand in the penalty area, winning the penalty. From the 11m mark, Vinicius shot to the right corner, although the Las Palmas goalkeeper guessed correctly.
Vinicius successfully took the penalty, equalizing 1-1 for Real. Photo: realmadrid.com
The Brazilian striker has successfully converted all four penalties for Real in all competitions in 2024, against Barca in the Spanish Super Cup, Barca in La Liga, Bayern in the Champions League and Las Palmas in La Liga.
Real have drawn two and won one of their first three games and are currently fifth in La Liga. In the next round on September 1, Mbappe and his teammates will return to their home stadium, Bernabeu, to face Betis.
Hong Duy
