Kylian Mbappe conceded he is facing a challenging period after missing another penalty as Real Madrid stumbled in the La Liga title race with a 2-1 loss to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala saved Mbappe’s 68th-minute penalty, adding to Madrid’s frustrations. The night worsened when Federico Valverde’s defensive misstep allowed Gorka Guruzeta to score the decisive goal in the 80th minute.
“Bad result,” Mbappe wrote on Instagram. “A big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility for it. A difficult moment, but it’s the best time to change this situation and show who I am.”
Mbappe’s penalty shot went to the right, but Agirrezabala guessed correctly and made the stop.
“We knew he is a good penalty taker,” Agirrezabala said. “He missed the last one, and I believed he would choose the same side. Luckily, that’s what happened.”
Mbappe, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the 13th minute, also missed a penalty in Madrid’s 2-0 loss at Liverpool in the Champions League last week. He didn’t take a penalty in Madrid’s 2-0 league win over Getafe on Sunday but scored to ease some pressure on himself and the club.
Still, it was another lackluster outing for the France star, who continues to struggle in his first season since joining the Spanish powerhouse.
“I won’t evaluate a player’s performance based on a missed penalty. Obviously, he is sad and disappointed, but you have to move on,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said of Mbappe. “He is not at his best level, but you have to give him time to adapt.”
Ancelotti also downplayed Valverde’s error, saying mistakes happen to everyone.
Valverde lost possession while attempting to dribble past two Athletic players instead of passing to a teammate, giving Guruzeta a clear path to goal.
Álex Berenguer opened the scoring for Athletic in the 53rd minute before Jude Bellingham equalized for Madrid in the 78th.
The defeat left Madrid four points behind Barcelona, which ended a three-match winless streak in the league with a 5-1 rout at Mallorca on Tuesday. Madrid, which has a game in hand, had won three consecutive league matches since a 4-0 loss at home in the “clasico” against Barcelona.
Madrid has now lost five of its last 11 matches in all competitions.
Athletic moved up to fourth place with its fourth consecutive win across all competitions.
The matches on Tuesday and Wednesday were moved forward in the schedule as the clubs will play in the Spanish Super Cup in January.
In the Copa del Rey, first-division clubs Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, and Real Betis advanced past lower-division opponents in the second round. However, Villarreal lost 1-0 to fourth-division club Pontevedra, and Girona was eliminated on penalties by fourth-tier team Logrones.
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