Real Madrid managed only a thin win against Marseille with two penalties that came to their rescue. The team played just decent, and even though it started off extraordinarily, the plan began to wither as the clock ticked.
The team dominated well, even controlled the ball but could not score from open play. In addition, more damage occurred than repair on the Champions League night.
Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up an injury and is supposedly out for about 6–8 weeks, which means he could potentially miss the Anfield return. As a replacement, Dani Carvajal came on as captain but was soon sent off due to a foolish decision he made.
Carvajal head-butted the Marseille goalkeeper, which led to a direct red card for the captain. An incredibly stupid and uncalled-for act from such a senior and experienced player of Los Blancos.
Kylian Mbappé’s cold-blooded moment after red card is going viral
As a consequence of Carvajal’s foolishness, Real Madrid are now left without a right-back in the next Champions League game. The most likely scenario is that Fede Valverde will be given the responsibility once again.
But the situation is frustrating. It should not have happened in the first place. The frustration was also visible in the actions of Kylian Mbappé when Carvajal received the red.
Seen in the viral video, Mbappé swiftly approaches the Spanish full-back and, without any conversation, proceeds to almost cold-heartedly snatch the captain’s armband off Carvajal’s arm.
It is almost as if Mbappé is tired of being let down by the team and is not ready to take any more of it now. And this frustration is justifiable and, I believe, also reciprocated by the fans.
A shocking statistic has shown that Real Madrid have received four red cards in eleven games this season. The one that Dean Huijsen got was illogical, but the other three are absurd and need to be looked into.
The team is starting anew, and the situation with red cards cannot be ignored anymore. While an aggressive approach to the game is being adopted, there’s no excuse for reducing the team to ten men on so many occasions.
Carvajal was the latest executor of this mishap, which has put Madrid in a difficult situation ahead of the next Champions League game. But this has got to stop. Mbappé reaction toward Carvajal was valid and needs no criticism at all.
The team must do better than this, and Xabi Alonso should be at the forefront telling them that.