The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic’s daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox.
Good morning! It was a night for the No 9s. Well, some of them at least.
On the way:
3️⃣ Mbappe sinks City
🧊 Messi melts the ice
😬 Darwin’s theory of devolution
🇺🇸 USMNT stars upstaged
Masterful Mbappe: Forward believes he can score 50 goals a season after treble vs Man City
TNT Sports
Kylian Mbappe’s words after Real Madrid’s 6-3 aggregate win over Manchester City felt like a warning as much as a celebration.
“The adaptation period is over,” he said after his hat-trick. “It’s time to show my personality.”
In his first weeks at the Bernabeu early this season, Mbappe was not a leader either on or off the pitch, struggling for goals and working to win over team-mates. But that did not last long.
Advertisement
Last night, the 26-year-old was back to his best as Madrid marched into the Champions League’s round of 16, and once again, the pages of the record book are beginning to flutter.
He has joined Lionel Messi as the only player to score seven or more goals against a Pep Guardiola-managed team, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 33 goals in his debut Madrid season looks under threat — Mbappe now has 27.
“Can I reach 50 goals this season?” he said post-match. “I always believe so. I have maximum confidence in myself. But I don’t limit myself, if I can score (more goals), I’m going to score more.”
Where was Haaland?
Mbappe held up his end of the bargain. His hat-trick was masterful, demonstrating his full range of skills. Though poor City defending from a long ball played a role in the first, his lob over Ederson was spectacular. For his second, a flowing Madrid attack ended with him sitting down Josko Gvardiol, who will not want to rewatch the GIF above.
It was Phil Foden’s turn for the third — he was dispatched with a stepover before Mbappe’s shot arrowed in from the edge of the box. Tie over.
City, meanwhile, looked toothless due to the absence of Erling Haaland, who injured a knee against Newcastle United at the weekend. The issue is not thought to be serious.
Around the grounds
It must be said, Paris Saint-Germain are getting on pretty well without Mbappe. They beat Brest 7-0 in their play-off last night, securing a 10-0 win on aggregate — just the second 10-goal winning margin in the Champions League era. The other was… (drumroll please)… Bayern Munich 12-1 Sporting CP in 2008-09.
Elsewhere, despite the success of USMNT players in the league phase, this week was chastening — Milan, Juventus and Celtic’s eliminations knocked out half a dozen of their stars. Borussia Dortmund and PSV still have representation, but the record tally of 13 Champions League goals scored by Americans does not seem as if it will be added to.
The draw is on Friday (11am GMT/6am ET) with some mouthwatering matches on the cards for next month. Madrid derby, anyone?
News round-up
- Former Arsenal, Manchester United, and Netherlands striker Robin van Persie looks set to be appointed Feyenoord’s new head coach — he came through at the Rotterdam club 25 years ago, before retiring there in 2019.
- A Canadian judge has decided Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF, has been officially served with legal papers. He is facing a $70million lawsuit for allegedly campaigning with the “malicious intent of destroying” the family of the state’s former intelligence chief, Dr. Saad Aljabri.
- Arsenal’s financial results are out and the club’s losses have improved by £34m. Keep an eye on that wage bill though, it has ballooned by 40 per cent.
- Meanwhile, Manchester United’s second quarter results show the cost of business — they spent £14.5m to get rid of previous manager Erik ten Hag, his coaching staff and technical director Dan Ashworth.
- A bit of bad news for Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham has received a two-game ban, for La Liga matches, after being sent off for swearing at referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero last weekend. Madrid will appeal.
- Animal-rights groups are calling for the Moroccan government to stop killing stray dogs as a rabies management strategy ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup. In an open letter, they ask FIFA to push for neutering and vaccination as more effective policies.
Cold finish: Messi leads Inter Miami to win despite ‘inhumane’ conditions
CONCACAF Champions Cup
Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi were born in the Argentine province of Santa Fe, where the average low in February is 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19C). Last night, for Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup game against Sporting KC in Kansas City, it was seven degrees Fahrenheit (-14C).
It is no wonder Mascherano, Miami’s head coach, called the conditions “not humane” and “impossible to play in”. But of course, for Messi, impossibility is not a consideration. The snood-clad maestro chested a cross down, beat a defender, and slid the ball into the corner (above), giving his side a 1-0 lead to take into the second leg.
That second game is in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday. The winner of the tie will face Jamaican club Cavalier S.C. in the round of 16. Jamaica you say? Now that sounds warmer…
Nunez nightmare: Striker misses simple chance as Liverpool drop points against Villa
TNT Sports
Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa means they have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League over Arsenal (who now have a game in hand). But head coach Arne Slot has reason for concern — striker Darwin Nunez is regressing.
On Wednesday, he missed a clear chance (above) from six yards — it had an enormous xG value of 0.75 — and was left crestfallen. “There’s one person in the dressing room who feels quite down, and you know who that is I think,” said Slot afterwards.
With Liverpool having snubbed January interest in him from Saudi Arabia, it increasingly looks as if Nunez will depart in the summer, writes The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce. The club need a No 9 who better fits Slot’s brand of football.
Around The Athletic FC
Catch a match
(Selected games, times ET/UK, all on Paramount+, ViX/TNT Sports, with additional channels stated)
Europa League play-off round, second legs, 12.45pm/5.45pm: Galatasaray (1) vs AZ (4), Roma (1) vs Porto (1) — also on Fubo; 3pm/8pm: Ajax (2) vs Union Saint-Gilloise (0), Anderlecht (0) vs Fenerbahce (3), Real Sociedad (2) vs Midtjylland (1) — also on Fubo.
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Deportivo Saprissa vs Vancouver Whitecaps, 8pm (U.S. only) — Fubo, ViX.
And finally…
TNT Sports
It might have been a bad night for the USMNT’s Champions League players, but Juventus’ Timothy Weah scored a goal sweeter than syrup. Just take a look at this ball-strike.
And he was playing right-back. Chapeau.
(Top image: M Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images)
