Football
5 Dec 2024
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Carlo Ancelotti Defends Kylian Mbappé After Second Penalty Miss in Athletic Club Defeat

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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has expressed his support for Kylian Mbappé following the French forward’s second penalty miss in as many matches, this time during Los Blancos’ 2-1 defeat to Athletic Club on Wednesday night.

Just one week after his penalty miss against Liverpool in the Champions League, Mbappé’s tame effort from the spot was saved by Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, whose heroics helped secure the Basque side’s victory. The defeat handed control of the La Liga title race back to Barcelona, who now sit four points clear at the top of the table, having played one more game than Madrid.

After the match, Ancelotti was asked about Mbappé’s struggles in Madrid, particularly his performance in comparison to his time at Paris Saint-Germain, with some observers suggesting the Frenchman had not yet shown his usual form. The Italian coach responded strongly to those criticisms, defending his star player.

“I haven’t spoken to him about the penalty miss,” Ancelotti explained. “Of course, we missed the penalty, but we cannot evaluate a player’s entire game based on a single moment. Sometimes penalties are scored, and sometimes they are missed. Kylian is disappointed, but we have to move forward.”

Ancelotti continued by stressing that Mbappé is more than just his penalty misses: “He’s much more than just 1%. He’s not at his best yet, but we need to give him time. He’s already scored ten goals this season. He can do better, and he’s working hard to improve.”

Following the match, Mbappé took to social media to publicly take responsibility for his performance. The 25-year-old posted: “Bad result. A big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility. It’s a difficult time, but it’s the best time to change this situation and show who I am.”

The loss to Athletic Club leaves Real Madrid trailing Barcelona in the La Liga standings, and the pressure will be on Mbappé and his teammates to bounce back quickly as they continue their push for the title.

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Mbappe’s effort was kept out / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages

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