Real Madrid calm storm with win over Levante
Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a much-needed 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Levante on Saturday, courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Raul Asencio, after being met with boos from a restless Bernabeu crowd before the breakthrough arrived.
The win snapped Real’s two-match losing run and offered brief respite after a bruising week. They looked flat in the first half, still carrying the scars of Sunday’s 3-2 Spanish Super Cup final defeat to rivals Barcelona, followed by the departure of manager Xabi Alonso the next day and a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey exit to second-division Albacete on Wednesday.
Boos greeted the players at kick-off, with sections of the crowd also directing chants at club president Florentino Perez. Real finally eased the tension when defender Dela tripped Mbappe in the box, and the French forward converted the penalty in the 58th minute to extend his league-leading tally to 19 goals.
Seven minutes later, Real doubled their advantage through centre-back Asencio, who rose to meet Arda Guler’s corner with a powerful header to make it 2-0, giving new coach Alvaro Arbeloa a crucial cushion and settling the mood inside the stadium.
“It was a very important day. Everyone wanted to turn the situation around,” Asencio told RMTV. “What happened in Albacete shouldn’t have happened. We felt guilty and wanted to make up for it.
“Arbeloa asks us to enjoy ourselves — to be protagonists, to dominate, to focus on ourselves and not on the opposition. Little by little, we’ll get there.”
The win keeps Real second in LaLiga on 48 points from 20 matches, one behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand and visit Real Sociedad on Sunday. Levante are 19th with 14 points.
“It (the penalty) is something we know can’t happen. We fell apart,” Levante striker Ivan Romero said.
“The attitude is very good, and we don’t give up until the last minute. We have to continue on this path and go for the next match.”