Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Marseille at home in their first Champions League game was a story with two sides. Kylian Mbappe’s amazing play at the front of the attack helped his team win a very important game, but a defensive crisis started to happen within the first three minutes of the game.
Kylian Mbappe tried a bicycle kick that almost went in just after the two-minute mark. It was a very bold move. But a minute later, the mood changed when Trent Alexander-Arnold, a new addition, grabbed his left hamstring and had to quit the game. Dani Carvajal took his place, and in the 72nd minute, he got a straight red card, which could lead to a ban for more than one game, making Real Madrid’s defense even worse.
Mbappe was the clear star of the night. His two penalties brought his total number of goals for Real Madrid to 50 in just 64 games. He has now scored 17 goals in Real’s last 15 games, bringing his Champions League career total to 57 goals in 88 appearances. At just 26 years old, he is now the sixth-highest scorer in the competition’s history. His stats are impressive, but they don’t tell the whole story. Mbappe is the new spearhead of Real’s “Galacticos 2.0” initiative, as has been clear all season. Head coach Xabi Alonso hailed the forward’s “football and personality.”
But the win wasn’t easy at all. Timothy Weah scored for Marseille in the 22nd minute when Arda Guler made a mistake. Six minutes later, Mbappe equalized from the penalty spot after a bad tackle on Rodrygo. He made his second penalty kick in the second half after Facundo Medina of Marseille was punished for a handball.
Real Madrid’s defense paid a lot for the win. Antonio Rüdiger is already hurt, and Alexander-Arnold’s hamstring problem is said to be a muscle injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg that could keep him out for up to eight weeks. This makes it unclear if he will be able to play in the next El Clásico and the Champions League match against his old club, Liverpool. Carvajal’s red card, which came after he headbutted Marseille goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, makes things much more tricky. He could be banned for two to three matches because of what he did, which is a big problem for Xabi Alonso at right-back.
Meanwhile, in another Champions League match, Arsenal displayed their great squad depth with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, who came on as substitutes, both scored, showing how strong Mikel Arteta’s bench is and how good his team’s summer recruits are.