What a difference three days make.
On Saturday, some of Real Madrid’s players and president Florentino Perez were roundly whistled during their 2-0 win against Levante at the Bernabeu. On Tuesday, they produced a 6-1 rout of Monaco in the Champions League that seemed to turn the stadium in their favour.
Kylian Mbappe put Madrid in front against his former side with a calm finish from just inside the area after Federico Valverde’s pass. Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati then missed a golden chance to draw the sides level in the 19th minute, before Mbappe finished off a devastating counter-attack seven minutes later to give Alvaro Arbeloa’s side full control — slotting home an unselfish Vinicius Junior pass.
It was the first of three goals Vinicius Jr created on the night: Franco Mastantuono turned home another pass from the Brazilian in the 51st minute to claim his first Champions League goal and put Madrid in full control, before Thilo Kehrer put the ball into his own net from the forward’s low cross.
And, having been one of the players whistled against Levante, Vinicius Jr completed his personal comeback with a fine solo finish inside the box in the 63rd minute. Monaco got a goal back in the 72nd minute through Jordan Teze after a loose Thibaut Courtois pass to Dani Ceballos, but Jude Bellingham restored the five-goal advantage by side-stepping goalkeeper Philipp Kohn and slotting home in the 80th minute. Arbeloa could reflect on a job well done in his first Champions League game in charge.
Here, Dermot Corrigan and Thom Harris analyse the key talking points.
How badly did Arbeloa need this?
This convincing victory was well-timed for everyone at Madrid after such a tumultuous few weeks — including defeat in the Supercopa de Espana final to Barcelona, an early Copa del Rey exit to Albacete, Xabi Alonso’s sacking and last weekend’s whistles for the team, coach and Perez.
The display will also have been very welcome for new coach Arbeloa, who was among those whistled by the Bernabeu last weekend, and who is taking on such a difficult job with no previous experience coaching in the elite.
The most promising aspect for Arbeloa will have been the intensity and motivation shown by his players right from the beginning. The early goals definitely helped to maintain a positive mood in the stadium, while Monaco’s wayward finishing and slipshod defending also made them an ideal opponent for players such as Vinicius Jr and the recalled Mastantuono to get much-needed boosts of confidence.
Alvaro Arbeloa needed this win (Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images)
The three points keeps Madrid well-placed for a top-eight finish which would see them straight into the round 16 without a potentially tricky play-off game next month. To make sure of that they will still probably need at least a point in next Wednesday’s final group game at Benfica — a game which is extra special now given Benfica’s manager is Jose Mourinho, who was such an influence on Arbeloa during their time together at the Bernabeu more than a decade ago.
It was not all ideal for Madrid and their new coach. Most worrying will be centre-back Raul Asencio leaving at half-time after picking up a knock. Given defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy are currently injured and club captain Dani Carvajal is carefully returning from a long-term absence, Arbeloa could end up picking one or two midfielders in his back four again next week.
So Arbeloa still has plenty of work to do, and much bigger tests await, but this result and performance was very welcome, and very much needed.
Dermot Corrigan
Vinicius Jr with the perfect response
Vinicius Jr never ceases to divide opinion. You only had to listen to the Bernabeu crowd this evening — some cheering, others jeering — to understand how the explosive winger makes the people feel.
But one thing is guaranteed from the Brazilian: an absolute desperation to make things happen on the pitch.
Few players in world football are quite so relentlessly positive and direct with the ball at their feet — and, while his output has peaked and dipped across the last five years at the Bernabeu, the threat of Vinicius Jr never wanes. He was back to his scintillating best after a frustrating few weeks down the left of Madrid’s attack, grabbing his first contribution of the night after a storming run and perfectly-weighted pass with the outside of his boot for Mbappe to tap home.
Vinicius Junior slams home his effort (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)
He was unselfish throughout, laying the ball on a plate for Mastantuono following a neat turn shortly after half-time. It even looked as if he might lay the pass off for a team-mate 10 minutes later, ducking and weaving with the ball, teasing the back-tracking defenders, before taking it upon himself to chop onto his right and slam an emphatic finish into the roof of the net.
This is not the first time that Vinicius Jr has dazzled in front of fractious fans, but this is a player brimming with expression and emotion who knows how to whip up a crowd. It is fair to say he got tonight’s spectators back on side.
Thom Harris
Could Ronaldo’s single-season record be in Mbappe’s sights?
Mbappe said before this game how special it was to be playing for Madrid against the team where he began his professional career, scoring 27 goals and 16 assists in 60 games and starring in a shock Ligue 1 title victory in his first full senior season in 2016-17 (before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain for €180million).
The Frenchman wasted little time in showing his old side the goalscoring machine he has become. He opened the scoring within five minutes, with some clever movement to get away from Monaco centre-back Eric Dier, which created the space and time for the 27-year-old to sweep the ball home.
Instead of celebrating joyously, Mbappe immediately clasped his hands aloft, as if to say sorry towards the Monaco supporters.
As the game progressed, Monaco had a chance to equalise which on-loan from Barcelona forward Ansu Fati squandered. The visitors grew in confidence, but sending more players forward made them vulnerable to Madrid’s counter-attacks.
Just before the half-hour mark, Eduardo Camavinga’s flick and then Arda Guler’s first time ball sent Vinicius Jr sprinting clear down the left wing.
The Brazilian unselfishly squared the ball across the penalty area, and Mbappe clinically finished from eight yards out. It took a VAR confirmation to show that Mbappe was just inches onside and the counter-attack had been perfectly executed.
That brought Mbappe to 11 goals in the competition already — equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most scored by any player in a single Champions League group phase (the Portuguese managed it in 2015-16, when clubs played just six group games). The final group game at Benfica next Wednesday brings a chance for Mbappe to set a new mark of his own.
Ronaldo holds the single-season record for the competition with 17, scored in the 2013-14 campaign. Mbappe still has a way to go to match that total, but at his current rate it looks quite possible.
Madrid won the Champions League in both the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons — if Arbeloa’s team can get their act together and go deep into the competition, then their current galactico striker has a greatchance to take another personal record off his childhood idol and predecessor.
Dermot Corrigan
Did Mastantuono give Madrid more balance?
While their defensive shape still leaves a little to be desired, Madrid were expansive and incisive in attack throughout an open first-half.
On the left, Mbappe and Vinicius Jr swapped positions seamlessly, swirling around Jude Bellingham while makeshift left-back Eduardo Camavinga largely sat back and allowed a superstar attacking trio to do their thing.
Meanwhile, Federico Valverde was typically energetic on the opposite side, offering himself for overlaps whenever he could to allow the young Franco Mastantuono to cut inside.
It was the 18-year-old Argentina international’s first start outside of the Copa Del Rey since November 1, but Mastantuono seized his opportunity with a dynamic display, offering Madrid real variety across the front three. He opened up the Monaco defence with a neat shimmy and threaded pass into Valverde for the opening goal, before driving 40 yards with the ball at his feet barely a minute later to send Vinicius Jr into the box.
He linked up well with Valverde throughout, often chopping infield before looking for the reverse pass. It is more natural for him to drift inside and create or shoot on his stronger left foot than it is for Rodrygo, who is usually tasked with running the right flank. That made Madrid more unpredictable when they moved forward, with genuine options to attack across the pitch rather than the usual lopsided approach.
Mastantuono started the second period in similarly bright fashion, taking a confident first touch to drive into midfield and initiating a give-and-go with Bellingham that saw the teenager fly into the box.
He had his first Champions League goal soon afterwards, floating into the penalty area undetected at the back post before finishing confidently across the goalkeeper on his weaker right foot.
This quickly turned into a night of catharsis for Madrid, and Mastantuono has given Arbeloa plenty to think about with a hugely encouraging display.
Thom Harris
What did Arbeloa say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.