Mbappe becomes completely unstoppable by any living goal keeper on earth.
Real Madrid finally looked like a title side again, battering Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at San Mamés with Kylian Mbappé basically doing everything short of driving the team bus. Two goals, an assist and a swagger that cut Barcelona’s lead back to a single point, and Xabi Alonso will argue he’s been waiting weeks for something like this from his players.
Madrid came flying out from kick off and should’ve scored inside four minutes, Mbappé forcing Unai Simón into a smart stop before Vinicius had a go himself. The warning didn’t get heard, because on seven minutes Trent Alexander Arnold pinged a raking pass into Mbappé, who drifted in off the flank and buried a perfect finish into the far corner. It was Alexander Arnold’s first La Liga assist, and probably not his last if Madrid keep feeding Mbappé like this.
Athletic wasn’t awful going forward, they just run into Thibaut Courtois, who’s started playing like he’s offended by conceding. He tipped away efforts from Gorka Guruzeta and Alex Berenguer, the second one a cracking save that briefly woke Madrid up from their little mid half nap.
Vinicius kept bouncing around threatening to embarrass someone, smacking the outside of the post from a tight angle before Simón denied him one on one. But Madrid doubled the lead just before the break with a lovely team move: Mbappé nodding Alexander Arnold’s cross back across goal, and Eduardo Camavinga heading home from about three yards. Athletic’s defenders watched it happen like they’d paid for tickets.
Courtois tipped over a fierce hit from Mikel Jauregizar early in the second half, but that was about as close as Athletic got to pulling Madrid into an actual contest. Mbappé, bored by normal goals, lashed in his second from distance, a skidding strike that caught Simón at the near post. The keeper might have saved it, but it’s hard to blame anyone when Mbappé’s decided to ruin someone’s night.
The one cloud for Madrid was injuries, which is becoming a weekly hobby. Alexander Arnold pulled up with what looked like a muscle issue, and Camavinga went off hobbling later. Alonso didn’t look thrilled, but he still got a hug off Vinicius when he subbed him, which is rich given both was having a sulk at each other for half the month.
Madrid, who had stalled with three straight draws away, needed this badly. And if Mbappé’s in this sort of mood, Barcelona might start sweating again, even if Alonso’s squad currently resembles a hospital ward.
