Just 1 goal in six games, but star striker Mbappe is loved at Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has defended his star striker Kylian Mbappe, whose poor form continued in a 2-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield. The French striker has managed just one goal in five Champions League games after his penalty was saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Kelleher last night. Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored for Liverpool.

Mbappe's struggles are not restricted to the European nights; he has only scored one goal in last six matches in all competitions for the Spanish giants. But Ancelotti is certain his 'extraordinary' striker will thrive with the right support. “It’s a difficult moment for him, we’ve got to support him and give him our love, he’ll soon be fine,” Ancelotti said.

“It could be a lack of confidence maybe. Sometimes you have moments when things aren’t quite working out for you. But you get through these moments. People miss penalties, it happens a lot. You can’t put too much grief on him for that.

“He works hard, he’s got to keep working hard and fighting. You get through these moments. Things just aren’t running for him at the moment. We’ve got be patient. He’s an extraordinary player.”

Real midfielder Jude Bellingham has also backed his illustrious teammate, who inspired France to the 2018 World Cup and so nearly delivered another in Qatar in 2022, losing a thriller to Lionel Messi's Argentina despite netting a hat-trick in the final.

“He is a wonderful player but the pressure on him because of how good he is is huge. The penalty is not why we lost the game. They performed better than us. I know that he will produce many more moments that will be huge for this club,” Bellingham said.