Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has described the team’s 4-2 loss to Portuguese side Benfica in the UEFA Champions League as a deserved one.
He said this after suffering the loss that prevented Real Madrid from qualifying automatically to the round of 16 stage after finishing ninth in the standings. Mbappe scored twice in the loss.
Real Madrid will compete in the playoffs for a chance to qualify to the round of 16; the playoff draw takes place on Friday, January 30.
Real Madrid players Raul Ascensio and Rodrygo were sent off in the game that had Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin score with a header and Mbappe lamented on the loss.
“In football, games start on 0 minutes and not 45 minutes, so in the end the defeat is deserved. I can’t say it’s not deserved because we didn’t play well to win this game. We didn’t play well and they did.”
“The first balls and the duels they win are not a matter of quality or tactics but of having more desire than the opponent” Mbappe said to the club’s media.
