All posts tagged: Mbappe

Vinicius lifts Real Madrid to 1-0 win over Sevilla with Mbappe back in starting role

Vinicius lifts Real Madrid to 1-0 win over Sevilla with Mbappe back in starting role

Published by Sam Flores

SEVILLE, Spain, May 17 : Vinicius Jr’s first-half strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Sevilla in LaLiga on Sunday, with forward Kylian Mbappe returning to the starting lineup after being controversially left out by manager Alvaro Arbeloa. Real stay second in the table on 83 points, with Barcelona having already won the LaLiga title, while Sevilla sit 13th on 43 points with one game remaining. Sevilla looked the more threatening side early on but fell behind in the 15th minute when Mbappe controlled the ball with his chest and fed Vinicius inside the area and the Brazilian winger finished low into the bottom corner beyond goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos. Both sides created chances but struggled to convert them, with Mbappe having a goal ruled out for offside in the second half after rounding Vlachodimos. Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and left back Fran Garcia then proved decisive, denying Sevilla an equaliser in the closing stages. Much of the focus before kickoff had been on Mbappe after the France captain said he was now a fourth-choice …

Mbappe says he is fourth-choice forward under Arbeloa at Real Madrid

Mbappe says he is fourth-choice forward under Arbeloa at Real Madrid

Published by Sam Flores

May 15 : France captain Kylian Mbappe said he is now the fourth-choice forward at Real Madrid after manager Alvaro Arbeloa left him out of the starting line-up for their 2-0 win over Real Oviedo on Thursday. The Frenchman, who missed Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Barcelona and was booed by his own fans on his return from a hamstring injury, came off the bench in the 68th minute after Arbeloa opted to play Vinicius Junior and Gonzalo Garcia in attack. Mbappe told reporters fitness was not an issue. “I’m 100 per cent fine. I haven’t played because for the coach I’ve been the fourth striker in the squad behind (Franco) Mastantuono, Vini and Gonzalo,” he said. “I was ready to start, it’s his decision and it always has to be respected. “I have no problem at all with Arbeloa. You have to accept the coach’s philosophy and I have to do better to play ahead of Vini, Gonzalo and Mastantuono.” Mbappe has faced criticism from fans for travelling to Sardinia while recovering from his injury, …

Kylian Mbappé Is Under Pressure as France Captain at the World Cup

Kylian Mbappé Is Under Pressure as France Captain at the World Cup

Published by Sam Flores

Mbappé’s tendency to weigh in on national affairs—and his savviness in doing so —has lent remarkable power to the voice of a single player. When Noël Le Graët, the president of the French Football Federation, criticized Zidane in early 2023, Mbappé reacted publicly on Twitter: “Zidane is France. We don’t disrespect a legend like that.” This short statement of disapproval made headlines, and was seen as part of what drove Le Graët to resign soon after. Like Zidane before him, who shattered the deeply entrenched perception of what it meant to be north African in France, Mbappé’s ascent brought hope and inspiration to the banlieus of Paris, where kids still study his rise from the projects to the World Cup final. Mbappé has sought to give back to the community that birthed a superstar, working through the years with a number of charities and launching a children’s foundation called Inspired By KM. “It’s something that allows me to leave a much more important legacy than just the legacy of a player,” he says of the …

Real Madrid close on Barcelona as Mbappe and Vinicius net against Alaves | Football News

Real Madrid close on Barcelona as Mbappe and Vinicius net against Alaves | Football News

Published by Sam Flores

Real Madrid beat relegation-threatened Alaves 2-1 in La Liga to close the gap with leaders Barcelona to six points. Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026 Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior each scored as Real Madrid ended a four-game winless streak by defeating Alaves 2-1 to move closer to Spanish league leader Barcelona. The victory on Tuesday at the Bernabeu Stadium left Madrid six points behind Barcelona, which hosts sixth-placed Celta Vigo on Wednesday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list It was Madrid’s first game since it was eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Madrid lost 2-1 at home and 4-3 in Germany in the second leg. The team’s last two Spanish league matches had been a 1-1 home draw against Girona and a 2-1 loss at Mallorca. It was a slow start for Madrid on Tuesday, and the crowd at the Bernabeu looked anxious as Alaves had a few scoring chances early. Part of the fans jeered as the team struggled. There were some boos after the …

Mbappe inspires 10-man France to Brazil win

Mbappe inspires 10-man France to Brazil win

Published by Sam Flores

BOSTON, March 26 : France started their preparations for the World Cup in convincing fashion as Kylian Mbappe inspired them to a 2-1 friendly win over Brazil despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half on Thursday. Captain Mbappe, showing no sign of the knee problems that had troubled him in recent weeks, opened the scoring in the first half, while Hugo Ekitike found the net after Dayot Upamecano was sent off 10 minutes into the second half. Gleison Bremer pulled one goal back for Brazil. While the French defence, without the injured Jules Kounde and William Saliba, was shaky at times, their attacking firepower was too much to handle for Brazil, who lacked creativity in the midfield. Mbappe now has 56 goals with France and is just one shy of Olivier Giroud’s record, which he could at least equal when Didier Deschamps’s side take on Colombia in another friendly in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday. “For us, it was not a friendly. Playing Brazil is a great opportunity to see where we …

Brazil vs France: When and where is the match? Will Mbappe, Vinicius play? | Football News

Brazil vs France: When and where is the match? Will Mbappe, Vinicius play? | Football News

Published by Sam Flores

French and Brazilian stars in focus as former world champions meet in a glamour friendly in Boston, US, before the World Cup. Brazil and France will be among the leading contenders for FIFA World Cup glory later this year, and the two heavyweight teams continue their preparations for the tournament by facing off in a glamour friendly in the United States on Thursday. With fewer than three months until kickoff, the countries ranked fifth and third respectively in the world rankings are in the US, familiarising themselves with what lies in store for them this June-July. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list When and where is the Brazil vs France friendly match? The former world champions go head-to-head on Thursday at 20:00 GMT at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, Massachusetts. The home of the National Football League (NFL) side New England Patriots is the venue for the first meeting of these teams in exactly 11 years, since Brazil came from behind to win 3-1 in a friendly at the Stadium of France in …

Mbappe, Real Madrid defeat Valencia; narrow gap to Barcelona on ladder | Football News

Mbappe, Real Madrid defeat Valencia; narrow gap to Barcelona on ladder | Football News

Published by Sam Flores

Goals by Kylian Mbappe and Alvaro Carreras allowed Real Madrid to peg back Barcelona in the La Liga standings. Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 9 Feb 20269 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Real Madrid stayed within one point of La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 2-0 win at Valencia on Sunday as second-half goals by Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe settled a largely uneventful contest. Real dominated possession but found chances hard to come by, with Valencia keeper Stole Dimitrievski rarely called into action as the visitors struggled to turn control into threat. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list It took them until the 65th minute ⁠to break the deadlock through Carreras before Mbappe wrapped up the points in stoppage time. Barcelona lead the table on 58 points, with Real second on 57. Valencia are 17th, a point above the relegation zone. Mbappe offered the main outlet with sporadic runs down the left, but clear openings were limited. Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa was forced …

Real Madrid weigh Mbappe gamble ahead of Spanish Super Cup final

Real Madrid weigh Mbappe gamble ahead of Spanish Super Cup final

Published by Sam Flores

Jan 10 : Real ‌Madrid could unleash their biggest weapon in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona, with coach Xabi Alonso saying they are considering taking a risk on Kylian Mbappe’s fitness after he missed the semi-final. Mbappe, who matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record of 59 goals in a calendar year during Real’s 2-0 LaLiga win over Sevilla last month, is nursing a knee injury. The ‌France forward, who has scored 12 goals in nine matches ‌against Barcelona, flew to Saudi Arabia on Friday to join the squad ahead of the El Clasico showdown in Jeddah. “He’s much better,” Alonso told reporters. “Against Atletico, he was just about ready, and we decided not to rush him, but we kept in mind that he might be able to play in the final. “He flew yesterday and ‍will train with the team today. We’ll assess him and decide whether he’ll start or play a little less. It’s a decision we’ll make with the player, the coaches and the doctors.  The moment we’re in and what’s at …