Kylian Mbappe saved 10-man Real Madrid against Marseille with two penalty goals in a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu. Marseille displayed a strong performance but errors in the box cost them the points in their opening Champions League match.
Embed from Getty ImagesMbappe scored his 50th goal for Real Madrid in the 81st minute and subsequently put his side ahead for the first time in the game. Facundo Medina handled the ball to concede the penalty and Mbappe aimed the same way to net his brace.
Rulli got a hand to the penalty and was unlucky to be on the losing side this evening. The Argentine goalkeeper was superb; he made 13 saves and prevented 1.62 goals.
Marseille were under a lot of pressure in the opening 15 minutes of the game but held firm and capitalised when it mattered most. Tim Weah broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute with a stabbed finish past Courtois.
It was a sloppy goal for Los Blancos to concede. Arda Guler was caught in possession by Mason Greenwood who nicked the ball in midfield. The Englishman drove forward and laid the ball off to Weah on his right. Weah made no mistake and scored his first goal for Marseille completely against the run of play.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe away fans jubilation was short-lived though, as just five minutes later, a sloppy lunging tackle from Geoffrey Konodogbia gifted Real Madrid a penalty. Mbappe stepped up and thumped the strike past Rulli to equalise.
Mbappe had plenty of other opportunities to score earlier on, including one effort just 74 seconds into the match. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s miss kick fell to Mbappe who opted for an acrobatic effort inside the box. His overhead kick flew just wide of the far post.
Xabi Alonso’s side maintained their flawless start to the 2025/26 campaign and currently sit fourth in the Champions League table. Marseille will feel hard done by but will have an opportunity to redeem themselves at the end of the month against Ajax.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Isabelle Newnham
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