Kylian Mbappe has issued a rallying cry to his Real Madrid team-mates following their Champions League nightmare against Arsenal. The Spanish titans are trailing 3-0 against the Gunners after an impressive first leg of the quarter-finals at the Emirates. Two spectacular free-kicks from England midfielder Declan Rice and another goal from makeshift forward Mikel Merino have put Mikel Arteta‘s team firmly in control of the tie. Now, Mbappe has come forward with a straightforward message.
Posting on his Instagram story, the Frenchman shared a picture of himself during the match with the caption: “Hay que creer hasta el final”, which translates as “you have to believe until the end.” At 26, Mbappe will undoubtedly be looking to make a significant impact during next week’s second leg at the Bernabeu. The forward has already scored 32 goals this season in what has been a standout debut campaign in Spain.
And he’s not the only Real Madrid star refusing to concede defeat ahead of next week’s crucial second leg. England midfielder Jude Bellingham has also hinted that a surprising comeback might be possible for his team despite a disappointing performance in north London.
“We were nowhere near it,” Bellingham admitted to Amazon Prime. “That’s the fact and Arsenal were really good. I know two of their goals were free-kicks but they could have had way more. There is a second leg and that’s what we’re holding on to.
“We need something really special, something crazy really but one place where crazy things happen is our house. We’ve got 90 more minutes at home to pull something out of the bag. We’re still alive, we’ve got 90 mins of football and anything can happen at the Bernabeu.”
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said after the challenging loss: “The result means that Arsenal were much better than us. The game was a bit different. For 60 minutes the game was level, and then they shoot two fantastic free-kicks. The game it changes.
“The reaction, mentally we went down. We had a problem in the final 30 minutes of the game. Now it will be very difficult in the second leg. But we have to try.”
Real are determined to swing back into form before facing Arsenal again. They have a La Liga clash with Alaves on Sunday, looking to close the gap on Barcelona at the league’s summit.
Meanwhile, Arsenal again gear up for Premier League action as they welcome Brentford in a Saturday evening fixture.
