Real Madrid Cut Points Distance With Barcelona, Ancelotti Praises Mbappe

The forward Kylian Mbappe et al celebrated his goal which brought Real Madrid a 2-0 win over Getafe. (X/@realmadrid)

JAKARTA - Real Madrid completed their mission of cutting points with Barcelona after beating Getafe 2-0 in the Spanish La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024 evening WIB. Kylian Mbappe also showed a charming performance that drew praise from coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Mbappe was in the spotlight when Madrid lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the Champions League. In that match, Mbappe played under performance and rarely endangered the Reds' defense.

Not only that, Madrid actually had the opportunity to equalize the score when they were awarded a penalty. But Mbappe's execution failed so Madrid finally lost.

After that defeat, Madrid and Mbappe were under pressure. There is no other choice to rise except to win the game when they host Getafe in domestic competitions. Mbappe also still won the trust of Ancelotti to start even though there was Endrick.

This time, Mbappe answered Ancelotti's trust by breaking into the opponent's goal while strengthening Madrid's advantage over Getafe. This became Mbappe's 10th goal in various competitions.

"He is an active and very dangerous player. That's what we really hope for. He scored an important goal because it allowed us to control the game until the end," said Ancelotti, who stated that fans still understood when Mbappe failed to meet the expectations. They continue to support the captain of the French national team.

"Fans understand the condition of the team and players much more than others. They also support Mbappe after failing at Anfield because he has done what is right," he said again.

"He also scored spectacular goals with fantastic executions. Despite all, he did play very well," said Ancelotti.

In that match, Madrid lost part of the pillar players. The back line has been abandoned by David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal who were injured.

Ancelotti also could not field Vinicius Jr and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni who had not recovered from injury. Finally, midfielder Eduardo Camavinga had to step aside after suffering an injury against Liverpool.

However, Madrid still showed their best performance. However, Los Merengues had difficulty breaking into Getafe's goal until they finally got a penalty in the 30th minute.

Penalti diberikan setelah bek Allan Nyom menutuhkan bek Madrid Antonio Ruediger yang ikut naik menyerang saat mendapat sepak pojok. Wasit sempat meninjau insiden itu lewat VAR. Hasilnya, Nyom melakukan pelanggaran dan wasit menunjuk titik putih.

Interestingly, Mbappe refused to take the penalty and midfielder Jude Bellingham did it. Bellingham successfully completed the execution and put Madrid 1-0 up.

The goal made Madrid players more confident. The host's pressure finally paid off when Mbappe completed Bellingham's pass to break into the opponent's goal in the 38th minute.

The score changed to 2-0 for Madrid. There were no additional goals. Madrid also struggled to enlarge their lead in the second half despite their success in defending the win.

The result made Madrid return to second place by shifting Atletico Madrid. Now, Madrid have a 33rd point. With one point adrift, they overshadowed Barca's leaders strictly. Madrid even have the chance to win the top position because they still have one game.

Meanwhile, Getafe is still stuck at the bottom. With 13 points, they are in danger of getting down to the relegation zone.