Bellingham confident Mbappe will bounce back after Liverpool penalty miss

Jude Bellingham is confident Kylian Mbappe will bounce back and deliver “many big moments” for Real Madrid after the striker's penalty was saved in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

The reigning Champions League holders were defeated for a third time in their opening five games of this season's competition, becoming the first defending champions to lose three games in the group stage after winning the title.

Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo gave Liverpool a perfect start to the season under Arne Slot, who recorded a fifth win in as many games as his side returned to the top of the table.

Mbappe saw an opportunity to cancel out Mac Allister's opener by begging as Caoimhin Kelleher saved his penalty in the 61st minute.

It was the French captain's latest setback in his difficult start at Madrid, but Bellingham sympathized with his teammate.

“It can happen,” the England midfielder told TNT Sports. “He is a great player, but the pressure he exerts is enormous because he is so good.

“The penalty is not the reason why we lost the game. They performed better than us. I know he will produce many more moments that will be huge for this club.”

On the game, he added: “To be honest, from the first minute they took control of the game. We never really maximized the spells we had in possession. We handed it over so many times that they took control retained.”

“They were more looking forward to it than us, which is very disappointing to say. It's a bad result against the best performing team in Europe.

“We are disappointed with how we performed and it is important that we win the next three games and give ourselves a chance to go through.”

3 – Real Madrid become the first reigning Champions League winners to lose three group stage matches after winning the title. Setback. pic.twitter.com/Qrq57ZpXVA

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 27, 2024