daniel chigunwe
REAL MADRID manager Carlo Ancelotti hopes Kylian Mbappe will not be sidelined for an extended period after the striker paved the way for a 3-2 Champions League win at Atalanta on Tuesday but was forced off with an injury a few minutes after scoring the opener.
Real Madrid have endured a series of injuries this season, with several key players missing significant time, including Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao who are out for the rest of the campaign with ACL tears.
“Mbappe has suffered an overload, an ischial (lower pelvis) discomfort,” Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.
“It doesn’t seem serious, but we’ll see tomorrow after the exams. He couldn’t sprint, it was bothering him a bit and we decided to make the substitution.”
Facing heavy criticism for his poor form in his first few months with Real Madrid after signing as a free agent from Paris St Germain, Mbappe was having arguably one of his best games of the season at Atalanta, scoring the opener in the 10th minute and making menacing runs.
But his night lasted only 35 minutes, when he fell to the floor and asked to be substituted before being replaced by Rodrygo. Vinicius Jr, who was returning to the side after missing the last two weeks with a muscle injury, was on the periphery for most of the game but made the most of the chance he got, netting in the 56th minute to put the visitors back in front after Charles de Ketelaere had equalised with a penalty right before the break. — Reuters.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter