The Spanish media have been discussing the performances of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr after Real Madrid were beaten by Arsenal.
Arsenal already have one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions League after stunning the European champions by winning 3-0.
Declan Rice netted two stunning free-kicks, meanwhile, Mikel Merino netted for the fourth time in his career against Madrid to seal the victory.
But for Madrid, it was truly an evening to forget and especially for their attackers who were locked out by Mikel Arteta’s defence.
The Spanish media issue verdicts on Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr vs Arsenal
The Spanish media were left less than impressed by the performances of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr against Arsenal.
Mbappe and Vinicius both struggled to leave their mark on the game at the Emirates Stadium with Jakub Kiwior’s performance receiving much praise.
The pair were unable to take advantage of Arsenal being without the injured Gabriel Magalhaes as Carlo Ancelotti’s team struggled to trouble the Gunners’ goal.
After the match, the media in Spain were pretty harsh in their reviews of Mbappe and Vinicius.
Diario AS gave Vincius 1/10 and wrote: “Erratic, timid, poor. During the first half hour, he was involved in a series of losses that led Ancelotti to giving him a slap on the wrist.” Meanwhile, they handed Mbappe a 3/10: “A fighter, but a miscue. And the latter is something he can’t afford. He did contribute a lot to the creation, acting as a playmaker more than usual. But in the box, he didn’t have the sharp edge.”
There was also strong reviews for the pair from Mundo Deportivo who claimed about Vinicius: “Something is wrong with the Brazilian because he is far from being the decisive player of other seasons.” On Mbappe, they wrote: “He could have scored the 0-1, but Raya prevented it. He wasn’t the decisive striker Real Madrid fans had hoped for.”
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicus Jr’s stats vs Arsenal
Mbappe and Vinicus managed a combined xG of just 0.38 against Arsenal as Madrid’s attacking duo proved toothless in North London.
| Mbappe | Vinicius | |
| Minutes | 90 | 90 |
| xG | 0.33 | 0.05 |
| Shots | 3 | 3 |
| Shots on target | 1 | 0 |
| Touches | 42 | 38 |
| Accurate passes | 27/29 (93%) | 14/22 (64%) |
Arteta’s side were so well-organised throughout the match, but the performances of Kiwior and William Saliba deserved a special mention.
The North London club will need to be just as resolute in the second-leg as Mbappe and Vinicus will be out for revenge in Madrid.
