After scoring on his debut against Atalanta in the European Super Cup, Kylian Mbappe failed to score in three consecutive La Liga matches. The notable point in those matches was the French striker's lack of sharpness in finishing. He was still energetic, breaking through and penetrating the opponent's penalty area regularly, but luck kept turning away.
The match against Real Betis was not as easy as many Real Madrid fans imagined. They still attacked, still dominated but showed no luck in front of the opponent's net. During the first 45 minutes, Los Blancos' top strikers, including Mbappe, were unable to put the ball in the visitors' net. The worry of another loss of points was present in the context of arch-rival Barcelona having won all 4 opening matches.
It wasn't until the 67th minute that Real Madrid opened the scoring. Starting from a backheel pass from Federico Valverde, Mbappe quickly ran down to receive the ball and finished in a one-on-one position with the Betis goalkeeper. This time, the 25-year-old striker succeeded. He celebrated enthusiastically as if to dispel the pressure he had been under in the previous 3 matches.
Eight minutes after the opener, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty after Vinicius Jr was brought down in the box. Normally, the Brazilian would have stepped up to take the penalty, but he let Mbappe take it. The Frenchman made no mistake as he doubled the lead for his team and added another goal to his La Liga tally.
After the victory, coach Carlo Ancelotti said that this was a happy day for Real Madrid but not the happiest day. The Italian coach said that although the team had launched good attacks, they sometimes lost their rhythm and needed to improve from the next round.
Back to Mbappe , although he just scored a brace, looking at the beginning of the tournament, he still hasn't been in good form. Before scoring, the French striker missed 2 good chances. Including the previous match, Mbappe shot 18 times. Ancelotti let his student play in the role of "number 9" and this caused a lot of difficulties for the new Los Blancos player. It wasn't until the second half of the match against Betis that Mbappe and Vinicius were able to solve the problem.
During many times when Real Madrid attacked or counter-attacked, the Vinicius - Mbappe duo often swapped positions. Depending on who was closer to the left wing, that person would stay on the touchline while the other person penetrated the penalty area. If it was Mbappe, the ability to penetrate was clearer. Meanwhile, if it was Vinicius, the Brazilian striker would focus on playing on the edge of the penalty area waiting for an opportunity.
"There is no discord between Vinicius and me. On the contrary, we are very compatible in the best team" - Mbappe shared.
Before the final whistle blew, Mbappe left the field to a huge round of applause from Real Madrid fans at home. He said that the goal this season must be titles and emphasized that he must always score in every match.
