Kylian Mbappe silenced his critics by scoring his first La Liga goals to secure a 2-0 victory for Real Madrid over Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, moving them up to second place in the league standings.
After scoring in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta, Mbappe, Real Madrid’s new signing, had not scored in the first three La Liga matches, leading to criticism from the Spanish media. He finally broke his goal drought in the 67th minute, slotting the ball past the Betis goalkeeper with his left foot after receiving a clever back-heel pass from Fede Valverde.
Eight minutes later, Mbappe scored his second goal from the penalty spot and was met with cheers from the crowd when he was substituted by Luka Modric in the 84th minute.
Mbappe’s performance displayed a noticeable shift from the frustration he showed after his first goal and trophy in Warsaw on August 14. Coach Carlo Ancelotti had defended him against the criticism, asserting that despite not scoring, Mbappe was playing well and adapting to the team.
Real Madrid’s 2-0 win places them second in La Liga with eight points, four points behind leaders Barcelona, who maintained their perfect record with a 7-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid on Saturday under new coach Hansi Flick.
Atletico Madrid is in third place after a late win in Bilbao, and Villarreal is fourth, both with eight points as well. Girona sits in fifth after their second victory of the season against Sevilla.
Girona secured a 2-0 win over Sevilla with goals from Ivan Martin in the 41st minute and Abel Ruiz, who converted a penalty in the 73rd minute.
Alaves earned a 2-0 win over Las Palmas with goals from Carlos Vicente and Luka Romero, while Osasuna climbed to seventh place after an exciting 3-2 victory at home against Celta Vigo.
Ante Budimir assisted Flavien Boyomo to give Osasuna the lead after 21 minutes, but Celta quickly equalized through Borja Iglesias. A Carlos Dominguez own goal put Osasuna back ahead just before halftime, with Abel Bretones adding a third after the hour mark.
Celta was reduced to 10 men when Alfonso Gonzalez was sent off four minutes from time, and a late own goal by Moi Gomez provided a small consolation for Celta in the final minute.
