Mbappe bounces back to steer Real Madrid to Sevilla win

MADRID — Kylian Mbappe said he had bounced back from hitting rock bottom after helping Real Madrid thrash Sevilla 4-2 on Saturday to move second in La Liga above stuttering rival Barcelona.

After Atletico Madrid beat Barca on Saturday to claim top spot at Christmas, Carlo Ancelotti's side also took advantage with a comfortable home win, leaving it a point behind the leader.

Madrid coach Ancelotti said ahead of Sevilla's visit that Mbappe's adaptation period had ended following his summer switch from Paris Saint-Germain, and the French forward proved the coach right with a strong performance and his 14th goal of the season across all competitions.

Fede Valverde also netted a brilliant effort from range, with Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz also getting on the scoresheet for the host, with the latter assisted by a clever Mbappe pass.

Isaac Romero and Dodi Lukebakio scored for Sevilla, although it was thoroughly outplayed in veteran defender Jesus Navas' final game for the club.

"I think that we know each other better, my arrival changed a lot of things, and now, as the coach said, the adaptation is over and I feel very good in the team," Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.

"We can see on the pitch that I click better with my teammates, and now we're all playing better."

Mbappe, back after a brief absence with a thigh injury, scored for Madrid in midweek as it won the Intercontinental Cup.

It was welcome relief for the forward after missing two penalties in recent weeks against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao, as well as suffering criticism for his form.

"I know I've got much more in my legs than I'm showing, but in recent games I've played better," Mbappe added. "The Bilbao game was good for me, I hit the bottom, I missed a penalty and it was a moment to realize that I have to give everything for this shirt and show my personality."

With Vinicius Junior suspended, Mbappe took the reins and broke the deadlock in the 10th minute as Madrid brought the ball out from the back and worked it to Rodrygo on the left flank.

The Brazilian squared to Mbappe on the edge of the area, who took one touch to control, another to set himself, and, with his third, smashed a fierce effort past the helpless Alvaro Fernandez.

"I think (Mbappe) has been selfcritical, he's come out of a situation that could have been complicated for him," Ancelotti told reporters.

"Yesterday, I said his adaptation period was over, today he showed it. Sometimes, I'm not wrong."

The coach said that Madrid had found its footing after struggling at times in the first half of the season.

"We're running a bit more, playing with more intensity, we're doing things well again, as we have to do — they've been complicated months," Ancelotti added.

Madrid's second, 10 minutes later, was even better, with Valverde firing a screamer into the top corner from over 30 yards out from a short corner.

Ancelotti's side was in full flow, and the third followed in the 34th minute when Lucas Vazquez crossed for Rodrygo.

Navas bows out

Sevilla hit back within a minute, with Romero nodding home from Juanlu Sanchez's cross.

Madrid stretched its lead after the break with Mbappe dinking a superb pass through for Diaz to finish clinically.

Sevilla brought on Navas after the hour mark, and he was applauded by the Santiago Bernabeu on his 705th and final appearance for the club, far more than any other player.

Madrid and Sevilla players together gave the retiring Spanish great — a World Cup winner in 2010 and two-time Euros champion — a guard of honor at the start of the game.

Navas, 39, won four Europa Leagues and two Copa del Rey trophies with Sevilla, but his final appearance ended in disappointment for the Andalusians.

Lukebakio pulled one back late on for Sevilla, as Madrid was able to finish an impressive year, in which it became Spanish and European champion, on a positive note.

"Today was a spectacle, I haven't seen anything like that in my life at an away ground, it was crazy," an emotional Navas told reporters.

"I was thinking of all the moments that I've lived through, the joys I've given to my Sevilla and my national team."

AFP