MADRID —
With two goals in less than 10 minutes, Kylian Mbappé ended his goalless streak as a Real Madrid player in the Spanish League,
The French star shone in the second half, scoring twice to give Madrid a 2-0 victory over Real Betis on Sunday. Mbappé made his debut as a goalscorer in front of the fans at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
“A great moment, I was hoping to score in this legendary stadium, the best in the world,” said Mbappé. “We needed to win against great teams to build confidence. But we must not forget that we are in August, we need confidence, to be together and to win.”
Mbappé first showed off his finishing ability in the 68th minute, when Federico Valverde set him up with a backheel that Vinicius Junior let go, so as not to be offside, and gave the Frenchman the option of finishing in the back of the net.
He sealed the double with a penalty kick in the 75th minute, after referee Javier Alberola Rojas resorted to video replay (VAR) to call a foul by goalkeeper Rui Silva on Vinicius.
The reigning La Liga champions were held to a 1-1 draw at Las Palmas in midweek, raising questions about their performance after signing Mbappé from Paris St. Germain.
“I know that when a player like me comes to a team, many things change, but I think that from the first game until today we have improved,” said Mbappé. “I feel good in this team and I know that as a player I can do better than today and in the other games.”
“I have to score in every game. I haven’t scored for three games and everyone talks about that. I only think about how to help the team win titles,” he added.
The victory left the Merengues in second place with eight points, four behind leaders Barcelona, who are on a perfect run with 12 points after beating Valladolid 7-0 on Saturday.
“Obviously we are not at our best, but this will come little by little,” said Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. “I am happy to have taken a step forward in what we want to do and what we want to be. We have to work hard, but we have all the resources to do well.”
Betis suffered their first defeat of the season and are stuck with two points in 17th place, with a game in hand.
Mbappé had been unlucky in front of goal throughout the first three league games and the first half of this match, in which due to details he had been left wanting to score his first goal of the local season after the one he scored in his first match for Real Madrid in the European Super Cup against Atalanta (2-0).
The French star had his best collaboration with Vini in the attacking zone in this match, but it was not until the genius of the Uruguayan Valverde that he was finally able to score his first goal in the season.
Shortly afterwards, Vini gave him the chance to score his first brace for Madrid with a penalty. Mbappé was given the chance to receive loud applause when he came on for veteran Luka Modric in the 83rd minute.
During the first half of a very disputed match, the hosts’ best chance came with another header from their defender Eder Militao after a corner kick from Rodrygo Goes, however Silva reacted to keep the ball in the direction of goal.
For Betis he had the opportunity to make his debut when forward Vitor Roque came in as a substitute, having been loaned out by Barcelona in the last few days before the market closed.
GIRONA WINS IN SEVILLE
Iván Martín (41 minutes) and Abel Ruiz (73, from penalty) celebrated the goals with which Girona sealed a 2-0 victory in their visit to Sevilla.
The Catalan team has won several games to move into seventh place with seven points. Meanwhile, the Andalusian team is in the relegation zone with two points in 19th place.
In other results, Osasuna beat Celta de Vigo 3-2, Alavés beat Las Palmas 2-0 and Getafe drew 0-0 with Real Sociedad.
