MADRID: Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a 2-0 LaLiga win over lowly Levante on Saturday courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Raul Asencio, after being met with boos from a restless Bernabeu crowd before the breakthrough arrived.
Real stayed second in LaLiga on 48 points from 20 matches, one behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand and visit Real Sociedad on Sunday. Levante are 19th with 14 points.
The win also snapped Real’s two-match losing run and offered brief respite after a bruising week.
They looked flat in the first half, still carrying the scars of Sunday’s 3-2 Spanish Super Cup final defeat by Barcelona, followed by the departure of manager Xabi Alonso and a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey exit to second-division Albacete.
Boos greeted the players at kickoff, with sections of the crowd also directing chants at club president Florentino Perez. Real finally eased the tension when defender Dela tripped Mbappe in the box, and the French forward converted the penalty in the 58th minute to extend his league-leading tally to 19 goals.
Seven minutes later, Real doubled their advantage through center-back Asencio, who rose to meet Arda Guler’s corner with a powerful header to make it 2-0, giving new coach Alvaro Arbeloa a crucial cushion and settling the mood inside the stadium.
“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.”
ARBELOA REACTS
Tensions at the Bernabeu spared no one, with the crowd particularly aggressive toward Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, whistling both players whenever they touched the ball during a cagey first half.
Vinicius, who scored 22 goals last season, has managed only six across all competitions this campaign, while Bellingham has found the net five times, compared with 15 last season.
Asked about Vinicius, Arbeloa — a former Real right back — said he is determined to help the 25-year-old Brazilian winger rediscover his best form.
“I’ve been booed a lot myself, and one of the things that makes this club great is the high standards demanded,” the Spaniard said.
“We know what kind of week we’ve had, and the demands placed on us, and we have to take it in our stride because they know we can give more. I have no complaints about them — it’s on us to give much more at the Bernabeu.
“I’m going to work on improving Vinicius. I’m going to ask his teammates to give him as many balls as possible. He’s the most unpredictable player in the world.”
When asked about chants aimed at Perez, Arbeloa defended the club president: “I believe the shouts are not from people who dislike Florentino, but from people who dislike Real Madrid. All Madrid fans know how fortunate we are to have him.”
