Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a much-needed 2-0 win over Levante, courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Raúl Asencio. The victory gave new head coach Álvaro Arbeloa his first win since taking over, easing tension at the Bernabéu following a week of setbacks.
The reigning champions were booed by a restless crowd before kick-off, still reeling from Sunday’s 3-2 Supercopa de España defeat to Barcelona, the subsequent departure of manager Xabi Alonso, and a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey exit to second-division Albacete on Wednesday. The mood lifted when Mbappé was tripped in the box by Dela and converted the resulting penalty in the 58th minute, extending his league tally to 19 goals.
Seven minutes later, Asencio doubled the lead, rising to meet Arda Güler’s corner with a powerful header. “It was a very important day. Everyone wanted to turn the situation around,” Asencio told RMTV. “What happened in Albacete shouldn’t have happened. We felt guilty and wanted to make up for it. He [Arbeloa] asks us to enjoy ourselves – to be protagonists, to dominate, to focus on ourselves and not on the opposition. Little by little, we’ll get there.”
The win keeps Real Madrid second in La Liga on 48 points from 20 matches, one behind Barcelona, who have a game in hand. Levante remain in 19th place with 14 points.
