MU Shorts
Real Madrid World Cup Spotlight: Heartbreak for Mbappe, Tchouameni while Cucurella sails to the final
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached its final week, and Spain have now become the first team to book their place in the final.
La Roja beat France 2-0 in Arlington, producing one of the most controlled performances of the knockout stages.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute before Pedro Porro added the second in the 58th minute after a clever Dani Olmo pass.
France had enough attacking firepower to make the game interesting, but not enough precision to truly hurt Spain.
From a Real Madrid perspective, it was a night of mixed emotions.
Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni saw their World Cup dream end with France, while Marc Cucurella continued his strong run with Spain and is now one win away from becoming a world champion.
Kylian Mbappe vs Spain
Kylian Mbappe’s tournament had been full of goals and authority, but this was the night Spain finally managed to quieten him.
The Real Madrid forward played the full 90 minutes but had a frustrating display, in which he had three shots, none on target, 0.09 xG and completed only one of his six attempted dribbles.
Spain did not allow him to attack space freely, and when he received the ball, there was usually a second defender close enough to close the door.
He was also caught offside three times and booked late in the game, which summed up his frustration.
France needed him to produce a moment, but Spain kept the match away from the zones where he is most dangerous.
Mbappe has had an excellent World Cup overall, but this was a reminder that even the best attackers need structure around them.
Aurelien Tchouameni vs Spain
Aurelien Tchouameni returned to France’s starting XI after missing the previous two games through injury, partnering Adrien Rabiot in midfield.
That alone was a positive for Real Madrid. After any injury concern, seeing Tchouameni start a World Cup semi-final is encouraging.
The problem was that France’s midfield never really controlled the rhythm. Spain won the more important duels, handled pressure better and kept their defensive shape tight whenever France tried to progress.
Marc Cucurella vs France
Marc Cucurella had the happiest night of the Real Madrid trio.
The Spain left-back started again and played his part in another clean sheet, as La Roja shut out France for their sixth clean sheet in seven matches at the tournament.
Cucurella was booked in the first half, but he managed the rest of the game with maturity. That is exactly what Real Madrid fans will appreciate.
Cucurella is not always the most elegant player on the pitch, but he brings bite, timing and competitive edge.
Last night, he made sure that he did not give France a moment to breathe and got his defensive interceptions spot on.
He even had a late, last-ditch block to stop Mbappe from bundling in a consolation goal for Les Bleus, and that personified his never-give-up attitude.
He will now play in the World Cup final, and let us hope he has one more good performance in him before he returns to club duty.
Real Madrid will lock horns with Elche CF away at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight in Matchday 6 of the 2026/27 La Liga season.
The Merengues are currently second in the league standings with four wins and one defeat from five games, three points behind Barcelona, who are yet to drop a single point this term, and have looked unstoppable.
Given the situation, Real Madrid know there is no room for slip-up, even though it is still very early in the season.
Jose Mourinho’s men have not been particularly convincing away from home this term, having just about managed to beat RCD Espanyol in their opening match before falling to their only defeat of the campaign against Real Betis.
The hope will be to address that issue and put in a strong performance while collecting all three points heading into the derby against Atletico Madrid later in the week.
Going into the match, Los Blancos have not received any new fitness boosts, with Eder Militao, Rodrygo Goes, and Ferland Mendy still unavailable.
However, there will likely be some rotations with an eye on the derby, and here’s how Mourinho could set his team up against Elche tonight.
Defence
Trent Alexander-Arnold has had to share minutes with summer signing Denzel Dumfries so far this season, but will be hoping to make the right-back spot his own with a convincing performance tonight against Elche.
Meanwhile, on the left, Alvaro Carreras is expected to retain his place after a brilliant display at the weekend against Rayo Vallecano, which would also allow Marc Cucurella to be protected before the derby.
At centre-back, Dean Huijsen is expected to return to the starting lineup, at the expense of Antonio Rudiger, and partner with Ibrahima Konate.
Thibaut Courtois is the undisputed starter in goal for Real Madrid and will continue his search for a second clean sheet this season.
Midfield
While Aurelien Tchouameni has returned from his injury layoff, he is unlikely to be rushed back by Mourinho. As such, the Frenchman is likely to feature off the bench once again tonight at Elche.
Instead, the double pivot pairing of Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva is expected to take the field once again, with Eduardo Camavinga also having to settle for a spot among the substitutes.
Jude Bellingham has started all of Real Madrid’s matches so far this season and given his form and importance to the team, Mourinho will not rotate him tonight against Elche.
Attack
Yan Diomande made his first start at Real Madrid last weekend against Rayo Vallecano but failed to make the best impression.
Meanwhile, Arda Guler was once again brilliant for Los Blancos after coming on as a substitute, making a strong case for him to be reinstated to the starting XI on the right wing.
As for the left side of the attack, Vinicius Jr. will retain his place, hoping to find his best form after a rather slow start to the campaign.
Kylian Mbappe, who has now scored six goals in La Liga this season, will spearhead the attack, hoping to end his run of seven months without scoring away from home in the league.
