Mbappé: Not Surprised by Marseille’s Performance; We’ll Still Get Chances Even When Playing with Ten Men

In Real Madrid’s Champions League opener at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, French striker Kylian Mbappé scored a brace to help his team come from behind and defeat Marseille. After the match, he discussed the game’s progression and the intense on-pitch battles against the opponent in an interview with camel.live.

On not being surprised by Marseille’s performance

“Someone asked me if Marseille was a surprise? Not at all. I know Marseille well—I’ve watched all their games this season and am familiar with the rhythm of Ligue 1. We had a solid start and put in a consistent overall performance. There were quite a few chances we could have capitalized on better, myself included.”

On the opponent’s goal and the team’s response

“They took the lead through one of our mistakes, but we responded quickly. We faced more difficulties in the second half and even had one, maybe two players sent off. However, we knew deep down that even if we were playing with ten men—even nine men—at the Bernabéu, we would still create opportunities. In the end, we earned a penalty and scored it. We’re all happy to have such a strong start in the Champions League.”

On the physical battle with Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi during the game

“Many defenders use this kind of physical approach against me, and I’m used to it. Balerdi’s aim was to distract me and knock me out of my rhythm, but I stayed focused the entire time. Tonight we won the game, I scored two goals, and I even got the Man of the Match award—this is the best response I could have asked for.”