Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday.
For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0.
Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season.
Photo: Reuters
“We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually.
The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the campaign.
Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games and having produced the kind of form that is likely to put him in contention to finally win the Ballon d’Or award, but he managed just three attempts throughout the match, with none of them hitting the target.
Photo: AP
Vinicius Junior, too, was largely kept on the fringes of the action.
Liverpool coach Arne Slot said he had sharpened the focus of his players before the match by reminding them of goal contributions made by Mbappe and Vinicius this season.
“I told the players before the game they [Madrid] have scored 26 goals in La Liga, and Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius have 24 goal contributions together,” Slot said. “I don’t think you can ever control these two completely, but you can do a few things well.”
Photo: AP
Mbappe’s best opportunity came in the second half with Madrid trailing Alexis Mac Allister’s 61st-minute header. Receiving the ball inside box, he shaped to curl a shot into the top corner — only for his effort to drift well wide of the goal.
It was a case of history repeating itself for Mbappe, who endured a miserable night at the same stadium last year when Madrid were beaten by Liverpool in the league phase of European soccer’s elite competition.
On that occasion, Mbappe was guilty of missing a penalty that would have leveled the score before Liverpool went on to win 2-0.
Photo: AFP
At least he did not suffer the same indignity on this occasion, with Madrid kept well at bay by the Premier League champions.
Anfield is famed as one of the most daunting stadiums for away teams in Europe and a hostile atmosphere might have contributed to Mbappe’s struggles. The mood became even more intense when former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold came on to loud jeers late in the match.
“I was impressed by the atmosphere throughout the whole 90 minutes,” Slot said.
It was the first time Madrid have failed to score all season and was only their second loss in all competitions.
“I think we competed well,” Alonso said. “What was lacking today was perhaps [the ability] to hurt them in the final third and be a real threat.”
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