Mbappé hands Real Madrid a vital win, gets his revenge against Athletic | OneFootball

Real Madrid defeated Athletic Club 3-0 at San Mamés, with a brace from Kylian Mbappé, on matchday 15 of La Liga.

Xabi Alonso’s team returned to winning ways in LaLiga with a resounding victory over Athletic. A win that Real Madrid desperately needed after three consecutive draws and following Barcelona's victory over Atlético de Madrid on Tuesday, which confirmed the Catalans at the top.

Athletic was looking to beat Los Blancos again, something they had only managed once in their last 20 encounters, precisely the previous one at San Mamés, when Mbappé missed a penalty. But the Basques were never up to the task. And the Frenchman had his long-awaited revenge.

Mbappé got his revenge and gave Real Madrid the win against Athletic Real Madrid won the match from the start. In the 7th minute, in their first offensive move, Trent Alexander-Arnold assisted Kylian Mbappé, who put Xabi Alonso’s side ahead and set the tone for a crucial night to stay in the LaLiga title race. Before halftime, in the 42nd minute, another Frenchman, Eduardo Camavinga, after a pass from Mbappé, finished off a brilliant team play to start sealing a victory that was already clear.

Real Madrid controlled the game and the scoreboard without any problems, while Athletic couldn’t find a way to respond or create danger. In the second half, in the 59th minute, Mbappé completed the rout with a great right-footed shot from the edge of the box to make it 3-0, crushing the home team’s hopes.

For Mbappé, it was true revenge. The last time Real Madrid played at San Mamés, a year ago, they lost 1-2 and the Frenchman missed a penalty against Agirrezabala. This time, everything was different.

The bad news for Real Madrid, perhaps, were the injuries that forced Alexander-Arnold (replaced by Asensio) and Camavinga (replaced by Arda Guler) off the pitch. Later, Xabi Alonso gave minutes to Rodrygo, Gonzalo García, and Brahim Díaz. The Argentine Franco Mastantuono, now recovered from his injury, remained on the bench again, just like against Girona.

With this result, Real Madrid ends their streak of three draws, reaches 36 points, and sits just one behind leaders Barcelona. Athletic remains eighth, with 20 points. On the next matchday, the 16th, Real Madrid will host Celta on Sunday the 7th, while Athletic will play at home against Atlético de Madrid on Saturday the 6th.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.