Mbappe penalties rescue Real Madrid

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Real Madrid 2 - 1 Marseille

Kylian Mbappé scored twice from the penalty spot as 10-man Real Madrid fought back to beat Marseille in their opening Champions League fixture.

Author | Jack L

Stadium | Santiago Bernabéu

Super News Football | Champions League | Real Madrid v Marseille | View from the stands

Madrid were dealt an early setback when Trent Alexander-Arnold hobbled off with a suspected hamstring injury inside three minutes. Matters worsened when his replacement, Dani Carvajal, was dismissed 18 minutes from time for a head-to-head confrontation with Marseille goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the 15-time European champions prevailed thanks to Mbappé, who dispatched both spot-kicks with power and precision to take his tally to six goals in five appearances this season.

A closer analysis of what happened

Marseille had drawn first blood in the 22nd minute through Timothy Weah, whose thunderous effort beat Thibaut Courtois after Mason Greenwood had seized on an error from Arda Güler in midfield. Their advantage was short-lived, however, as Mbappé equalised from the spot six minutes later after Geoffrey Kondogbia’s foul on Rodrygo.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang threatened to restore the hosts’ lead with two efforts, the first skewed wide before Courtois denied the second with a sharp save. Real, undeterred by Carvajal’s dismissal, pressed on and were rewarded when Facundo Medina was penalised for handling in the box under pressure from Vinícius Júnior. Mbappé duly converted his second penalty, Rulli guessing correctly but unable to keep it out.

Xabi Alonso’s side, aiming to reclaim the trophy after falling to Arsenal in last season’s quarter-finals, will be encouraged by the resilience shown. They travel to Kazakhstan to face Kairat on 30 September, while Marseille host Ajax the same evening.

Reaction from those who watched on TV or in the stands in Madrid

Daniel Jordan, watching from the away end, was vocal in his criticism of the referee. He described the second Real Madrid penalty as “scandalous” and questioned why VAR had not intervened. “The defender made a brilliant tackle and was falling to the ground when the ball hit his arm. It’s natural for the defender to use his arm to cushion the fall. Ridiculous decision,” he said.

Jamie F had a similar viewpoint on the match. After watching the match on TV, he said: “The second penalty award was a ridiculous decision by the referee, almost as though he was looking for a way to give Real Madrid a scoring chance. Medina made a great sliding tackle and couldn’t help the ball ricocheting and hitting his arm. He didn’t gain an advantage from it hitting him there either. A disappointing way for the game to be decided.”

Location: Av. de Concha Espina, 1, Chamartín, 28036 Madrid, Spain

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