On Saturday, Real Madrid secured a crucial victory against Villarreal, with Kylian Mbappé scoring both goals for the defending champions.
He was disappointed, however, not to cap his performance with a hat-trick, which would have been his third for the club since joining from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
Mbappé scored twice in the 17th and 23rd minutes, giving him plenty of time to score his third of the night. However, he failed to do so, despite having a chance in the 87th minute at La Ceramica.
At that moment, Arda Guler recovered the ball on the right side of the Villarreal penalty area after a run from Vinicius Junior. Mbappé then called for the cross, but the Turkish midfielder opted to take his chance alone and his shot sailed over Diego Conde’s crossbar, much to the dismay of his Real Madrid teammate.
Guler was making a rare appearance at La Ceramica, as Carlo Ancelotti has rarely relied on him in recent months, especially in La Liga. He was clearly determined to impress, even if it came at the expense of Mbappé, who was probably in a better position to score.
Güler and Mbappé, the clash
Arda Guler has struggled to make a name for himself since joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 (Photo by Didac Aguirre)
Despite Mbappé’s failure to score his hat-trick, the 26-year-old once again put in a strong performance in La Liga. His brace took him past the 20-goal mark in the competition, and he is now just one goal behind Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to the top scorer at the end of the season.
It remains to be seen whether Mbappé can win this honor at the end of the season. If he misses by a goal, he could be looking forward to that moment, although it would be very unfair to Guler.
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