Kylian Mbappe struck twice against his former club Monaco as Real Madrid produced a stunning 6-1 victory in the Champions League on Tuesday, easing pressure around the club and boosting their push for a top-eight finish in the league phase.
Vinicius Junior, who had faced jeers from home fans during last weekend’s win over Levante, delivered a standout performance and scored a sensational goal, helping Madrid put in arguably their best display of the season.
New coach Alvaro Arbeloa secured his second win since replacing Xabi Alonso last week, with his side putting on a dazzling attacking show. Jude Bellingham and Franco Mastantuono also found the net, while Thilo Kehrer bundled Vinicius’ cross into his own goal to compound Monaco’s misery.
Mbappe, already in red-hot form, extended his lead at the top of the European goalscoring charts with his 10th and 11th goals of the campaign. After missing Madrid’s Copa del Rey humiliation against Albacete, he has now scored in consecutive matches.
The French superstar opened the scoring inside five minutes, calmly finishing from just inside the area after Fede Valverde nodded on Mastantuono’s cut-back. Mbappe then apologised to the Monaco fans, where he first rose to prominence.
Madrid doubled their lead through a lightning counter-attack. Eduardo Camavinga’s flick released Arda Guler, who found Vinicius, and the Brazilian squared for Mbappe to slot home just onside.
Despite defensive struggles, Monaco threatened sporadically, with Jordan Teze rattling the crossbar and Thibaut Courtois making key saves. Madrid, however, pulled further clear early in the second half when Vinicius teed up Mastantuono to sweep home.
After 55 minutes, Kehrer turned Vinicius’ low cross into his own net, before Vinicius himself added the fifth with a fierce strike into the top corner — silencing earlier boos and earning a hug from Arbeloa.
Teze pulled one back for Monaco after a Dani Ceballos error, but Bellingham rounded off the rout in the 80th minute, dribbling past the keeper to score after a clever dummy by Dean Huijsen.
The emphatic win underlined Madrid’s attacking firepower and suggested Arbeloa’s tenure has begun with renewed energy and belief.
