The whistles turned to roars at the Santiago Bernabeu as a Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior masterclass fired Real Madrid to a stunning 6-1 Champions League demolition of Monaco. The emphatic victory, under new boss Alvaro Arbeloa, lifted the gloom after a turbulent week and propelled Los Blancos into the provisional top eight.
Any lingering tension from Vinicius being jeered in the weekend win over Levante evaporated in a first half blitz. Mbappe, facing the club where he exploded onto the scene, needed just five minutes to open the scoring, tapping home after a clever cut back from Franco Mastantuono. He apologised to the travelling Monaco fans after celebrating, but there was no mercy in his performance.
The French star added a second before the half hour mark, finishing a blistering counter attack that he started and Vinicius expertly teed up. It was a statement from the Brazilian, who had vowed to respond on the pitch after a “very complicated” few days. “I try to give everything for this shirt,” he said afterwards.
Arbeloa, securing his second win after replacing Xabi Alonso, saw his side run riot after the break. Mastantuono swept in a third, Thilo Kehrer turned a vicious Vinicius cross into his own net, and then the winger himself capped a magnificent personal display by lashing into the top corner for Madrid’s fifth. “This is my Vinicius,” declared a beaming Aurelien Tchouameni after the match.
A sloppy Dani Ceballos error allowed Jordan Teze to grab a consolation for a shell shocked Monaco, but Jude Bellingham had the final say, rounding the keeper to make it six before celebrating with a series of imaginary ‘drinks’ a pointed response to recent tabloid speculation about his lifestyle.
“The players won this game, with their effort and their quality,” said a relieved Arbeloa. “I loved their attitude… this mentality is what all Madrid fans want to see.”
The result is a massive boost for their knockout stage aspirations, moving them firmly into the automatic qualification spots. For Monaco, and former Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati who threatened occasionally, it was a brutal lesson at the home of the European kings. Madrid, and their two superstar forwards, have well and truly found their voice again.
