MADRID: Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe said scoring his first La Liga goals for his new club on Sunday was a relief after drawing a blank in their first three league games of the season.

The France captain netted a second-half double to give the defending champions a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Betis on Sunday, earning them their second league win of the new campaign.

“I’ve been happy ever since I arrived here,” Mbappe, who netted on his debut, a 2-0 win over Europa League champions Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup to start the season, told DAZN. “People have given me a lot of affection here, even when I didn’t score, which was for three games. For some that doesn’t seem much but for me it was a lot!

“However, during the process, the club, the team-mates, the fans ... they have always been with me. Giving me confidence to score goals for this club.”

Coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw at lowly Las Palmas on Thursday, and still without midfielder Jude Bellingham due to a leg injury, the home side made another slow start against Betis.

The so-called “New Galacticos Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo misplaced too many passes and struggled to connect.

But they finally got on the scoresheet with Mbappe’s brace — the first a close-range effort in the 67th after a brilliant back-heel by midfielder Federico Valverde and the second eight minutes later with a penalty after Vinicius was brought down by goalkeeper Rui Silva.

“It’s a great moment. I was really looking forward to scoring in this mythical stadium, the best in the world,” Mbappe said. “But the most important thing is the victory. We had to win after Las Palmas, even though we faced a difficult game, as they all are against rivals here. But we are Real Madrid. And we won at last.”

Real’s win takes them second in the table with eight points, four behind early leaders Barcelona. Atletico Madrid are third while Villarreal are fourth, both of them also on eight points.

Girona are fifth after picking up their second win of the season in Seville.

Ivan Martin put Girona ahead in the 41st minute with Abel Ruiz wrapping up a 2-0 win over Sevilla with a penalty in the 73rd minute.

Goals from Carlos Vicente and Luka Romero gave Alaves a 2-0 win over Las Palmas while Osasuna are in seventh after an exciting 3-2 win at home against Celta Vigo.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2024