Mbappé misses decisive penalty in extra time as Real Madrid stumble at Betis

Kylian Mbappé endured his worst evening in a Real Madrid shirt on Friday in Seville: the French striker missed a penalty in extra time and wasted numerous opportunities as the Merengues suffered defeat at Betis (1-0), in the opening fixture of Liga’s fourth matchday.

The statistics tell a damning story. Mbappé generated 1.78 xG across the entire match, with seven shots in total, but failed to find the back of the net. The evening reached its nadir in extra time, when the former Paris player sent his penalty wide when an equalizer was within reach. Earlier, in the 43rd minute, he had first blazed over a shot before seeing his second attempt miraculously blocked by Marc Bartra.

This defeat ends a flawless start to the season for Real Madrid, who had won their first three league matches. For Mbappé, it is a harsh reminder of the demands that come with his status: the player had rarely shown such finishing deficiencies in the box since arriving in Spain.

“You have to be demanding with Kylian Mbappé, he is perhaps the best striker in the world. He wants the Ballon d’Or. And in this match, he fell short. A player like Kylian Mbappé must be clinical,” summarized Jérôme Rothen after the match.

Sports daily AS described the performance as a “real nightmare,” noting that the Bondy-born forward had “had numerous chances, but lacked precision” throughout the evening. Real Madrid will need to bounce back quickly to avoid losing ground on their title rivals.