On an unforgettable European night, Real Madrid continued to make history at their favorite stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu, achieving a resounding and historic victory over their French visitors, Monaco, with a score of six goals to one. This occurred in the match that took place on Tuesday evening as part of the seventh and penultimate round of the league stage in the new format of the Champions League.
Mbappe opens the football circus early
Real Madrid entered the match with a clear attacking intent to settle matters early, a strategy translated into action by French star Kylian Mbappé, who undisputedly established himself as the star of the first half. Mbappé opened the scoring in the fifth minute, before finding the net again in the 26th minute, giving his team a comfortable lead and complete control of the game. The first half ended with the home side leading 2-0, much to the astonishment of the visitors.
Monaco collapse and a goal fest in the second half
Real Madrid weren't content with their two first-half goals, entering the second half with an insatiable appetite for more. In the 51st minute, young Franco Mastantonio added a third goal, compounding Monaco's woes. Just four minutes later, Monaco suffered another blow when defender Thilo Kehrer scored an own goal, making the score 4-0.
Continuing the relentless attacking pressure, Brazilian Vinicius Junior exploited the vast spaces in the collapsing French team's defense, scoring the fifth goal in the 63rd minute. Although Jordan Tizié scored a consolation goal for Monaco in the 72nd minute, the final word belonged to English star Jude Bellingham, who concluded the goal fest by scoring the sixth goal in the 80th minute.
Significance of winning and qualification calculations in the new system
This resounding victory holds special significance beyond just the three points; it comes under the new Champions League format, which relies on accumulating points in a unified league table with 36 teams. This win raised Real Madrid's tally to 15 points, temporarily propelling them to second place and significantly boosting their chances of securing a direct spot among the top eight teams that qualify for the round of 16 without needing to play in the additional playoffs, pending the outcome of the Bayern Munich vs. Union Saint-Gilloise match.
On the other hand, this heavy defeat has put Monaco in a precarious position, leaving them stuck on nine points and dropping them to 20th place. This ranking puts the French team in danger, as they now need to win their final match to secure a playoff spot (from 9th to 24th place) and avoid early elimination from the continental competition.
