Kylian Mbappe gets criticized for being ‘selfish’ in Real Madrid loss
Spanish and French media weren’t too happy with Kylian Mbappe after Real Madrid’s surprising 1-0 loss to Real Betis.
It was Real Madrid’s first defeat since Jose Mourinho’s unexpected return on Friday night. The winning goal came from Troy Parrott, a former Tottenham Hotspur striker, who scored for Real Betis.
Real Madrid had two good chances to level the game, but the most disappointing was Mbappe’s penalty miss in injury time. European media called his performance “selfish” and one to forget.
In the 81st minute, with the score still 0-0, Parrott scored after a rebound off a fantastic save by Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Shortly after, Real Madrid substitute Carlos Espi had a bicycle kick goal disallowed at 87 minutes. Real also got a penalty in added time, but Mbappe’s miss stopped them from scoring. Real Madrid protested, saying the penalty should have been retaken because of encroachment by Betis defender Marc Bartra, but the referee didn’t agree.
French outlet Journal du Real gave Mbappe a poor 2/10 rating, saying he failed to lead his team. Le Parisien described his night as “rarely joyful” with weak pressing and sloppy skills. Spanish media ELDesmarque gave him a harsh 1/10, calling him “selfish” and criticizing his “wasteful” finishing.
Thankfully for Mbappe, Real Madrid coach Mourinho didn’t blame his players. Instead, he said bad refereeing decisions cost his team the match.
After the game, Mourinho said: “The team played well. Sometimes you lose and don’t know why. Betis players were smarter and used their fans’ support to push hard.”
He added, “Our players stayed fair and didn’t try to influence the referee, which is a sign of a Real Madrid captain.”
Talking about Mbappe’s missed penalty, Mourinho said, “When one of us takes a penalty, we all stand together.”
Meanwhile, Barcelona can now move three points ahead of Real Madrid if they beat Valencia on Sunday.