JAKARTA - Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's goal record when he defeated 10 Sevilla players 2-0 in a Spanish LaLiga match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Sunday, December 21, 2025 WIB.
Mbappe again showed his sharpness in the home match which forced Madrid to work hard. Facing an opponent who played with 10 players plus the red card of Sevilla coach Matias Almeyda, Madrid could only add a goal that ensured victory from the penalty spot.
Previously, midfielder Jude Bellingham opened the victory through a goal created in the first half. Meanwhile, the second goal was produced by Mbappe four minutes before the break.
This is Mbappe's 59th goal in a calendar year, which equals Ronaldo's record. The Madrid legend scored the same number of goals in 2013. When celebrating the goal, Mbappe also imitated Ronaldo's 'siuu' style, his idol.
"To equal what Ronaldo has achieved, who is my idol and the greatest player in the history of Real Madrid and the world, is obviously an honor for me," Mbappe said, quoted by france24.
"He was my idol when I was a kid. Now I have a very good relationship with him. We are now good friends," he said again.
The victory further secured the position of coach Xabi Alonso, who had been under pressure following Madrid's poor results.
Even the failure of Los Merengues to score points in the domestic competition made Barcelona manage to pass it and displace Madrid who were previously at the top of the standings.
Now, Madrid managed to cut the points gap with Barca who are still comfortably occupying the top of the standings when ending the competition which entered the winter break. After the match, Madrid and Sevilla as well as the teams in the Spanish League were given a break to welcome Christmas and New Year.
With 42 points, Madrid is only one point behind Barca. However, the Blaugrana have the opportunity to get away again if they beat host Villarreal, Sunday night.
"Now we have more time to do analysis and reflection on where we are," Alonso said.
"We certainly want to get better results. We still make corrections. In this match, we got three points and we can use the time to make improvements and start the year better," he said.
In that match, Sevilla, who had slaughtered Barca 4-1 last October, were actually able to put up a tight fight. They relied on veteran striker Alexis Sanchez to break into the Madrid goal.
It's just that Madrid quickly overcame the pressure and took control of the game. Defender Fran Garcia got a good chance to give Madrid the lead. But his kick could be stopped by goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Furthermore, Los Blancos showed dominance with an offensive game. As a result, Bellingham managed to break Sevilla's goal in the 38th minute. Receiving the ball from Rodrygo's free kick, the England national team player continued with a header that defeated Vlachodimos.
1-0 ahead, Madrid still played aggressively. It's just that Sevilla showed a game of no surrender. Even Sanchez had a good chance to equalize the score. But the opportunity was thwarted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois through acrobatic action.
The match heated up when Almeyda protested and provoked. As a result, the Argentine coach was sent off towards the end of the first half.
Entering the second half, Sevilla continued to play offensively. Losing the coach did not make the Los Nervionenses lose their offensive power. As a result, they got a good chance through Isaac Romero. Unfortunately, Courtois brilliantly broke Romero's two chances.
When Sevilla put pressure on, they lost a player. Defender Marcao made a hard foul against Bellingham in the 67th minute. The referee also gave a second yellow card followed by a red card so that the visiting team had to play with 10 players.
Madrid tried to maximize the advantage of the number of players by playing offensively. A good opportunity was obtained by Rodrygo who received a pass from Mbappe. However, goalkeeper Vlachodimos brilliantly repelled it so that it only produced a corner kick.
After many failed attempts, Madrid finally added a goal when they were awarded a penalty in the 86th minute. The penalty was given after defender Juanlu Sanchez brought down Rodrygo in the penalty box.
The penalty was completed by Mbappe who successfully fooled goalkeeper Vlachodimos. Mbappe's goal equaled Ronaldo's goal record in a calendar year.
Ronaldo himself is recorded as Madrid's all-time top scorer after collecting 450 goals in 438 matches. Meanwhile, Mbappe has collected 73 goals from 83 matches with Los Blancos.
Mbappe's goal gave Madrid a 2-0 lead. There were no additional goals and the score remained until the end of the match. For Sevilla, the defeat kept them in ninth place with 20 points.
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