Real Madrid regained the support of the Santiago Bernabeu fans with a 6-1 victory over AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League. This victory is like a soothing medicine for the turbulent days of the Royal team, after they were soon eliminated from the two cup arenas and parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso.
Just 3 days before that, Bernabeu also heard fierce whistles in the match against Levante in La Liga, especially aimed at Vinicius Junior. Fans' dissatisfaction clearly reflected doubts about the direction of the team in the transition period.
Before the match against Monaco, the atmosphere in the stands became strange. There were no more boos, but no familiar cheers either. The players understood that they had to regain their faith with their performances on the field.
And it only took 5 minutes for Real Madrid to do that. From a rare coherent combination this season, Federico Valverde assisted Kylian Mbappe to finish to open the score, raising his total number of goals in the Champions League this season to 10.
The focus then belonged to Vinicius - the player who has been under the most pressure at the Bernabeu recently. One goal and three assists created an excellent personal performance, helping the Brazilian star gradually erase the remaining whistles.
In the 26th minute, Vinicius accelerated on the left wing and then crossed for Mbappe to double the lead. In the second half, he continued to assist Franco Mastantuono to score the third goal, before Thilo Kehrer's own goal increased the score to 4-0.
The most anticipated moment came in the 63rd minute, when Vinicius scored himself after a technical dribbling move in the penalty area. That was his first goal at the Bernabeu after more than 3 months - a great relief goal. Right after that moment, Vinicius ran to hug coach Alvaro Arbeloa, images showing a new connection being formed at Real Madrid.
VinIcius's revival also reflects changes under Arbeloa, who helped the Brazilian player regain his central role after a period of decline due to previous tactical conflicts.
At the end of the match, Jude Bellingham scored another goal to close the 6-1 victory, in the night when all 3 biggest stars of Real Madrid - Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham - left their mark.
Of course, Monaco is not a top-class opponent in Europe, as they are only ninth in Ligue 1 and are experiencing a poor performance streak. This victory cannot confirm that Real Madrid is ready for the Champions League title race.
But the most important thing for the Royal team is not distant ambition, instead they need to stir up the Bernabeu again. And they did it in the most convincing way.
As a coach, I am very happy that players put the team's interests above personal interests. That is what we need, a united team.
I am also very happy for the names who came on in the second half, for Dani Carvajal when I saw him return to the field, for Fran Garcia, and for Daniel Mesonero's debut. It was a great night for everyone" - Arbeloa shared after the match.
