“He is not at his best, but…” – Carlo Ancelotti issues defence of Kylian Mbappe after another costly miss

Real Madrid’s three-game La Liga winning streak ended with a 2-1 loss to Athletic Club on Wednesday, a result that dents their title hopes following Barcelona’s dominant win over Mallorca the day before.

Key mistakes proved costly for Real Madrid. Federico Valverde’s error gifted Gorka Guruzeta the winner, while Kylian Mbappé missed his second straight penalty with the score at 1-0. Despite the criticism, Carlo Ancelotti defended Mbappé post-match.

“It was a tough, even match,” Ancelotti said, as per Diario AS. “Small details cost us—the missed penalty being one. Mbappé is obviously disappointed, but penalties can be missed. He’s not at his peak yet, but he’s scored 10 goals and is working hard to improve.”

Ancelotti also clarified the team’s penalty takers: “Vinícius, Mbappé, and Bellingham are our designated takers.”