MADRID (AP) — A day after an unexpected defeat against Benfica in the Champions League, Real Madrid once again focuses its attention on the Spanish League knowing that it needs to improve.
Coach Álvaro Arbeloa and the players were on the same page after the 4-2 loss in Lisbon that relegated the club to the Champions League playoffs, assuming responsibility for poor performance and a lack of attitude.
“In football, matches start at minute 0 and not at minute 45, so in the end the defeat is deserved,” said attacker Kylian Mbappé. “I can’t say it’s not deserved because we haven’t played to win this game.”
“We haven’t played well and they have,” added the French star.
Mbappé, scorer of Madrid’s goals on Wednesday night to consolidate himself as the Champions League’s top scorer with 13 goals, noted that the team left the impression of taking the game as seriously as it should.
Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored Benfica’s fourth goal on the final play, ensuring that the Portuguese team obtained the goal difference it needed to reach the top 24 in the overall standings. A draw was enough for Madrid, but the setback expelled them from the top eight to advance directly to the round of 16.
“It was seen that Benfica was risking its life and it was not seen that we were risking it. That was the big problem of the match,” Mbappé highlighted. “At the beginning the two teams had things to play for, us being in the Top 8 and them in the Top 24. We have seen Benfica, but we have not seen what we had at stake.”
Arbeloa was sincere when he indicated that he could not convey to his players the importance of the match for Benfica.
“I haven’t been able to give the players the level I wanted them to give,” he said. “If the team does not perform at the level, the responsibility is always mine. I have not known that they approach the game the way I wanted.”
Key matches
Madrid hosts Rayo Vallecano, its neighbor from the Spanish capital, on Sunday. Thanks to a streak of five wins, the merengue team has managed to reduce its deficit with leader Barcelona to just one point. Rayo has lost three consecutive games in all competitions and is in 16th place in La Liga, close to the relegation zone.
After beating Copenhagen 4-2 on Wednesday to secure a place in the Top 8 of the Champions League, Barcelona visits recently promoted mid-table Elche on Saturday.
Third-placed Atlético de Madrid will face penultimate Levante on the same day, and fourth-placed Villarreal visits Osasuna, which is ninth.
Sunday’s programming also highlights the Basque Country derby with Real Sociedad – triumphant in its last three league games – visiting Athletic Bilbao.
out of action
Barcelona will miss injured midfielders Pedri and Gavi due to injury. Madrid could recover central defender Antonio Rüdiger and right back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Villarreal will be without defender Juan Foyth after the Argentine ruptured his left Achilles tendon last weekend.
Off the field
The League will begin offering 50 euros ($59) for each verified tip about venues that are broadcasting games without proper permission.
Bars, restaurants, betting houses and similar establishments need to subscribe to a specific package in order to show the matches. The League said such broadcasts have a letter in the corner of the screen to identify them, allowing fans to know if they are legal or not.
If people see that an establishment is showing an unauthorized stream, they can email La Liga with images to help verify the violation.
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