The Champions League returned to the Santiago Bernabéu with all the theatre the competition promises: dazzling moments of individual brilliance, tactical duels, youthful mistakes, and controversies that will echo through the week’s debates. Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Marseille — delivered through two Kylian Mbappé penalties — was not just a result, but a microcosm of Xabi Alonso’s reshaped Madrid: high-pressing, possession-heavy, and daringly reliant on its youngest stars.
A Match
in Three Acts
Madrid
began brightly, almost theatrically so, with Mbappé testing Marseille’s resolve
in the opening exchanges. His bicycle kick and incisive runs stirred the
Bernabéu, but it was Marseille who struck first. Arda Güler’s costly midfield
error — pounced upon by Mason Greenwood — released Timothy Weah, whose finish
past Thibaut Courtois silenced the stadium in the 22nd minute.
Yet the
French champions were undone within six minutes. Geoffrey Kondogbia’s clumsy
foul on Rodrygo gifted Mbappé the chance to equalise from the spot. By
half-time, Madrid had battered at Gerónimo Rulli’s goal in vain, the Argentine
keeper producing ten saves to keep his side afloat.
The second
act turned volatile. Dani Carvajal, introduced early after Trent
Alexander-Arnold’s injury, was sent off for butting Rulli in the 72nd minute —
a moment of hot-headedness that seemed to tip the balance. But the third act
belonged once more to Mbappé. In the 81st minute, Vinícius Júnior’s burst down
the flank forced a handball, and Mbappé dispatched his second penalty with icy
composure. Madrid, reduced to ten, clung on through Courtois’ late heroics.
Mbappé:
More Than a Finisher
Statistically
devastating and tactically obedient, Mbappé has transformed from Madrid’s
spearhead into its first line of defence. His brace against Marseille lifted
his tally to 50 goals in 64 appearances — a staggering rate — but his
post-match words revealed more:
“I do what
the boss asks me to do. He wants a high block, to win the ball high up… I want
to help the team, if it’s scoring goals, pressing, or assists.”
This
adaptation under Alonso marks a profound shift. Mbappé, once accused of
conserving energy for decisive bursts, now runs himself into the ground. His
pressing dovetails with Aurélien Tchouaméni’s ball-winning and with the
wingers’ disciplined recoveries, making Madrid’s collective shape far sturdier
than under Carlo Ancelotti.
The
Youth Movement: Mastantuono and Huijsen
Madrid’s
evolution under Alonso is not only about Mbappé. It is also about precocious
trust. Franco Mastantuono, just 18 years and 33 days old, became the youngest
Madrid starter in Champions League history. His insistent demand for the ball,
his willingness to cut inside and orchestrate, recalled a young Lionel Messi.
Though raw and lacking top-level explosiveness, Mastantuono’s fearlessness is
unmistakable. Four shots per 90 minutes already place him among La Liga’s most
prolific shooters.
At the
other end, Dean Huijsen embodies Alonso’s possession-dominant approach.
Averaging over 100 touches per game, the centre-back distributes with a
Kroos-like rhythm, slinging diagonals that stretch defensive blocks. His
decision to commit a tactical foul against Real Sociedad at the weekend was
misjudged by officials but underscored his maturity: a defender making
calculated, if risky, interventions in high-stakes moments.
Alonso’s
Madrid: A New Shape
What
emerges is a Madrid unmistakably different from Ancelotti’s. As Courtois
explained:
“The boss now is really on top of the wingers,
and Kylian, and the attacking midfielders like Arda \[Güler]. They have to get
back quickly behind the ball, and that changes a lot.”
The team
holds a higher defensive line, circulates possession more assertively, and
relies on younger legs to press and recycle. Alonso has rotated Vinícius Júnior
to the bench in multiple games, stressing squad depth and tactical fluidity. In
his words:
“Nobody
should feel offended if they don’t play a game. The calendar is very
demanding.”
This is no
longer Madrid of ageing grandees dictating tempo. It is a collective where
prodigies like Mastantuono and Huijsen are central, and even its biggest star
is asked to toil in pressing traps.
Champions
League Spirit Restored
The
Marseille victory was messy, dramatic, and imperfect — but quintessentially
Madrid. Reduced to ten, they found spirit in adversity. Mbappé’s penalties,
Courtois’ saves, Mastantuono’s fearlessness, and Alonso’s fingerprints on
structure and philosophy combined into a night that reminded Europe: the
Bernabéu remains a crucible of both chaos and inevitability.
For now,
Mbappé shines brightest, not only as scorer but as worker, leader, and symbol
of Madrid’s new era. But beneath his glow, a deeper story unfolds — of youth
entrusted, of tactical recalibration, and of a side in transition, already
dreaming of the trophies Alonso insists are within reach.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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