Real Madrid-Monaco (6-1): without pity for his ex, Kylian Mbappé pushes past Monegasques

When they reunite with their former players, some clubs fear suffering the “ex’s curse”. When Monaco crosses paths with Kylian Mbappé, it’s no longer a fear, it’s a certainty. Opposed to his training club for the 15th time since his departure in the summer of 2017, the French striker scored his 12th and 13th goals against the princely team, leading Real Madrid to victory this Tuesday in the Champions League (6-1).

In great form, the Madrid star took great pleasure in torturing Monegasques who were shaken defensively. Consolidating his status as top scorer in the competition (11 goals, five more than his runners-up Victor Osimhen and Erling Haaland), Mbappé delivered a full match, far from the pain in his left knee which disrupted his start to 2026.

After only five minutes, the Bondynois punished the opponent’s passivity by sending a clear shot with the flat of his right foot to die in the small net of Philipp Köhn (1-0), ensuring to complete a twelfth consecutive match by scoring against Monaco.

Mbappé celebrated but apologized

Although he did not hold back from celebrating his achievement with his partners, Mbappé still made a point of sending a gesture of apology to the Monegasque supporters, both hands clasped above his head in the direction of the visitors’ park. Far from being satisfied by this great start to the match, the French center forward was quick to double the lead, taking advantage of the good work and cross from the outside of Vinicius’ right to finish from close range (2-0, 26th).

To their pride, Sébastien Pocognoli’s men, still deprived of Paul Pogba, reacted after this catastrophic start: Jordan Teze found the square (31st), Maghnes Akliouche (36th) and Folarin Balogun (42nd) came up against a Thibaut Courtois who was still solid. But the defensive feverishness of the Rocher club did not allow it to hope for long.

At the conclusion of a superb collective movement, Franco Mastantuano added to the score after returning from the locker room (3-0, 51st) before Thilo Kehrer involuntarily deceived his goalkeeper following another tumble from Vinicius, untenable this Tuesday evening (4-0, 55th).

Nightmare evening for Thilo Kehrer

Totally lost, the visitors continued to expose themselves, multiplying restart blunders and risky positioning. Oddly placed very high on the pitch, the central hinge composed of Éric Dier and Thilo Kehrer definitively sank following another missed pass from the former Parisian, offering the opportunity for Vinicius to add his stone to the building (5-0, 63rd).

In the fight for a place in the play-offs, Monaco saved the honor through Teze (5-1, 72nd) but was not able to benefit for long from this meager breath of fresh air. Guilty of yet another restart error, Kehrer once again stood out negatively, allowing Jude Bellingham to score his second goal this season in the Champions League (6-1, 80th).

While Real moves back into 2nd place, the Monegasques are now 20th and will have to put in a big performance at home against Juventus next Wednesday to hope to reach the play-offs. A chance for them: Mbappé will not be on the field.