Mbappe has missed from the spot in two of his last three matches, both of which ended in defeat for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Real Madrid missed the chance to keep up the pressure on Barcelona at the top of LaLiga, slumping to a 2-1 defeat to Athletic Club in Bilbao, with Kylian Mbappe missing a second penalty in three games.
Carlo Ancelotti's side would have remained a point behind Barça with a game in hand if they had won in San Mamés, but their loss leaves the Catalans in the driver's seat… albeit only just.
Mbappe's bad week in Liverpool and Bilbao
Álex Berenguer put Athletic ahead early in the second half before Mbappé squandered two big chances to equalize. First he shot straight at Julen Agirrezabala while inside the penalty area the entire time, ten minutes before his tame penalty was parried by the goalkeeper.
Exactly a week earlier, the French forward had seen an almost identical penalty saved by Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher, even as Madrid were 1-0 down in the second half of their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Arne Slot's side .
As at Anfield, the miss proved extremely costly as Athletic won the match despite Jude Bellingham briefly leveling.
Mbappé's defiant message after a penalty miss
After the match, Mbappe admitted on Instagram that his penalty miss played a huge role in determining Real Madrid's fate. However, the 25-year-old vowed to return, with his message “what doesn't kill you makes you stronger”.
“Bad result. A big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility for it. A difficult moment, but it is the best moment to change this situation and show who I am,” the attacker wrote in English.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star has scored ten goals (and provided two assists) in nineteen games since joining Real Madrid, a fine return for most strikers, but perhaps not for a player who has been one of the was considered the best in the world. few years.
Mbappé and Madrid will soon get a chance to put things right as they return to action on Saturday (December 7) when they travel to Girona in LaLiga (kick-off at 3pm ET).
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