There are evenings when talent makes all the difference. And faced with Leganés, in a match where Real Madrid has vacillated, Kylian Mbappé still proved that he was the X factor. With two goals, including a liberating free kick, he allowed his team to tear down a precious victory (3-2) in a duel of extremes. A victory that maintains the Merengues at the elbow with the Barça at the top of the ranking, despite a performance far from reassuring.
A Real Malmedé, Mbappé responds present
The start of the match, however, gave alert signals. Real Madrid, visibly blurred and amputated by several frames left to rest, has gave rise to confidence. And if Mbappé had opened the brand in the 32nd minute on a penalty spot, the illusion of a controlled match quickly dissipated. In the space of eight minutes, visitors returned the situation (33rd and 41st). Two implacable executions, a glaring disorganization and a sudden worried Santiago Bernabéu.
But this Real, even in its worst moments, is based on its individualities. In the 47th minute, Jude Bellingham, still as decisive, took advantage of a muddle after a transverse bar by Brahim Diaz to equalize. A breath of fresh air before Mbappé has a moment of history.
Mbappé overthrows Legans and signs a liberating free kick!
A liberating free kick
So far mocked for his inability to mark on a free kick – a counter blocked for 3,409 days -, Mbappé has broken this curse. In the 76th minute, he unleashed a clear shot that pierced the wall and left the goalkeeper without reaction. A career in career that sounds like a brilliant response to criticism.
The delivery for him, but also for a whole stadium which feared a new misstep. And yet, despite this advantage, the Merengues almost lost everything. In the 88th minute, Munir, a former Barça, failed to equalize with an overly crossed head.
A victory, but questions
Ancelotti, who had chosen to run his workforce, saw his team brushing the disaster. The absence of Vinicius, Rodrygo or Valverde has weighed heavily, and defensive feverishness remains worrying. This success will not erase doubts, but it offers a precious breath of oxygen.
With 22 goals in liga, Mbappé is only a unit in Lewandowski in the Pichichi race. But beyond the figures, it was its steel mind that has made an impression. A vacillating Real Madrid, but carried by his providential man.
