Real Madrid News
Mbappe equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s record as history repeats itself at Real Madrid
Real Madrid enjoyed a statement night in Europe as Kylian Mbappe continued his sensational Champions League form with a brace in a crushing 6-1 victory over AS Monaco.
With his two goals against Monaco, the French forward has now reached 11 goals in this season’s UEFA Champions League, achieving that figure in just six matches.
That number immediately draws comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 11 goals during the group stage of the 2015–2016 campaign.
Of course, the competition format has changed since then. Ronaldo reached his tally in a traditional group stage featuring three opponents across six games.
The current format sees teams face a wider range of rivals across eight matches in a league-style phase.
Even so, scoring 11 goals in six games under any format shows the scale of Mbappe’s impact and places him alongside one of the greatest Champions League seasons ever produced.
There are a lot of similarities
That 2015–2016 campaign went on to become iconic for Real Madrid.
This is because Ronaldo finished the tournament with 16 goals in 12 matches, and Los Blancos lifted the trophy after defeating Atletico Madrid in the final.
Interestingly, there are growing similarities between that season and the current one unfolding at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Back then, Real Madrid also underwent a managerial change midway through the season, as Rafa Benítez was dismissed in January, and Zinedine Zidane was promoted from Castilla.
The outcome is now legendary, as Zidane led the club to three consecutive Champions League titles.
Fast forward, and history appears to be whispering again. Xabi Alonso stepped down as head coach in January, with another Castilla figure, Alvaro Arbeloa, taking charge of the first team.
What next for Mbappe?
For Mbappe, the next challenge is clear. Having matched Ronaldo’s group-stage output, his attention now turns to the overall tournament record.
The benchmark remains daunting – 17 goals in a single Champions League campaign, set by Ronaldo during the 2012–2013 season.
Breaking that record will require not only individual brilliance but a collective rise in performance from Real Madrid as the knockout rounds approach.
If the Monaco match is any indication, Mbappe and Madrid may just be on the verge of something special.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
