Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid (Mbappé x4). A squeaky win in Greece… Here is my immediate reaction to the goal-fest. Next up: Player ratings, interviews and a podcast.
A new game, a new line-up as Andriy Lunin
made a rare appearance in the absence of Thibaut Courtois. Álvaro Carreras moved into the middle, again due to injuries – while Ferland Mendy came back into the side at left-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold got another start on the other side. Fede Valverde got the armband back for this one.
Just the four goals in the first half, but the first came from the home side, creating an awkward situation early on as Chiquinho found the net. They could have had another, but Chiquinho couldn’t beat Andriy Lunin that time around. Just as well, as Kylian Mbappé bagged his first just after to get Los Blancos back into the game. The Frenchman would score his second two minutes later, with a headed effort from an Arda Güler cross. He’d have a hat-trick before the half-hour mark, showing quick reactions to give Olympiacos no chance. Vinícius Júnior scored a fourth, but his goal was ruled out for offside. Half-time, 3-1 to Real Madrid.
Olympiacos tried to make it a game with another early goal after the restart, but when Kylian Mbappé is around – and in this form, it becomes impossible to fight back. Eight minutes was all he needed to extend his sides lead once more, making it 4-2 with another finish made to look easy. The Greeks would demonstrate great determination though, refusing to back down – even scoring again to make it a close 4-3. They continued to press forward, making it an uncomfortable last five minutes. Madrid managed to finish the game with their 4-3 lead intact – but is this the result that they needed to restore some confidence in the team?
