Four days. That’s how long it took Kylian Mbappé to show La Liga what he is capable of. The Frenchman arrived at the match against Betis with a certain amount of buzz surrounding him, increased by the lackluster performance of Real Madrid at the start of the campaign. Faced with doubts, the ‘9’ did what he does best: score goals. Two goals from the Frenchman, one from a mouse of the area and another from a penalty, served Real Madrid to defeat a good Betis at the Bernabéu (2-0).
The match for Ancelotti’s team was by no means spectacular, but it was left green shootsespecially in the second half. The Whites put the ghosts to rest for at least two weeks, minimise damage and head into the international break Four points behind Barça.
The casting of the ‘new Kroos’ continues
Ancelotti continues his trials in search of a Guaranteed replacement for Toni Kroos. Real Madrid’s lack of play in the first plays has been a constant and the Italian coach has rehearsed with several players in the center of the field as companions for Tchouaméni y Valverdeuntil now untouchable. Without Bellinghaminjured, and after placing there He laughs against Valladolid already Modric Against Las Palmas, Ancelotti opted for CeballosThe Sevillian did not have a bad match, but he did not stand out either. ‘Carletto’ continues to play the keys.
The coach recovered the trident in attack and a greater fluidity was seen between Vinicius, Mbappé and RodrygoThey lacked precision and solidarity when finishing off the actions, but all three put greater emphasis on finding each other. Despite this, Madrid’s best chance in the first half came Military with a header that was repelled by Rui Silva. Betis left very little space for the Whites and they knew how to play their role very well. The first 15 minutes of Pellegrini’s pupils were especially good, They had the 0-1 in Abde’s head.
Mbappé shows his cards to the Bernabéu
Real Madrid increased the pace after the break. The Whites could not afford to go into the break six points behind Barça and they got down to work. Ancelotti’s team began to live in the opponent’s half and the chances began to fall. The clearest, a shot from Vinicius which crashed into the post after touching a defender and that Mbappeoffside, was unable to score the second goal.
Betis, comfortable in their role, threatened on the counterattack, which Rüdiger and Militao allowed them to do. Abde, wrong in the last gesturewas the one who tried the hardest.
Individualities in the offensive plane gave way to combinations, with a Vinicius more supportive that against Las Palmas. Rodrygo ran into Rui Silva after a great play before The whites claimed two penalties: the first due to a handball by Llorente inside the area and the second due to contact by Sabaly on Ceballos.
Faced with the threat of anxiety taking hold of the Madrid players, Valverde took out the magic wand for a walk to leave us with a resource that we are not used to. After another action by Rodrygo on the right flank, The Uruguayan assisted Mbappé with a heel-click fantasy. The Frenchman did not waste the gift, he beat Rui Silva with his left foot and He scored his first goal at the Santiago Bernabéu. A bit of liberation, of redemption, of taking the weight off of being chained three games without scoring in his debut in the League.
Once the clash was resolved, Madrid was free. Vinicius had his best minutes since the start of the league and made Sabaly his favourite prey. The Brazilian was the protagonist of the action of the third possible penalty of the night. Rui Silva brought down the ‘7’ in a one-on-one and Alberola Rojas, after consulting with the VAR monitor, He pointed out the maximum penalty.
This time Vinicius gave the penalty to MbappéThe night was full of firsts. The Frenchman scored his first double in the white shirt before receiving his first ovation from the Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid confirmed their second league victory of the season, both at the Bernabéu, and cleared up some of the doubts that surrounded the white box before the break. The doubt about Mbappé, if it ever existed, is more than dispelled.
