Bernabeu Blitz: Mbappe Leads Madrid Rampage Past Monaco

Real Madrid delivered one of their most ruthless European performances in recent years, demolishing Monaco 6-1 at the Bernabeu to take a huge step towards automatic qualification for the Champions League knockout stages.

The tone was set almost immediately. Inside five minutes, Kylian Mbappe struck against his old club, curling a composed finish into the corner after a smart exchange on the right. It was a familiar sight for Monaco and an ominous sign of what was to come.

Monaco attempted to respond with ambition and moments of promise on the counter, even rattling the crossbar through Jordan Teze, but Madrid never lost control. On 26 minutes, Mbappe doubled the lead, arriving at the perfect moment to convert Vinicius Junior’s low delivery and tighten Madrid’s grip on the contest.

By half-time, the hosts were cruising, and any lingering doubt vanished shortly after the restart. Vinicius Junior once again turned provider, slipping a precise pass into the path of Franco Mastantuono, who calmly finished to make it 3-0 and register his first Champions League goal.

From there, the floodgates opened. Monaco’s defensive resolve collapsed under relentless pressure. Thilo Kehrer turned the ball into his own net while attempting to cut out another dangerous Madrid cross, before Vinicius Junior capped a dazzling display with a thunderous strike that made it five.

Monaco did grab a brief consolation through Teze, capitalising on a rare Madrid error, but the response was swift and emphatic. Jude Bellingham, timing his run perfectly, rounded the goalkeeper and stroked home Madrid’s sixth to complete the scoring on a punishing night for the visitors.

The statistics reflected the imbalance. Real Madrid finished with an enormous expected goals figure of 3.94 compared to Monaco’s 1.55, while the match produced a remarkable 45 shots in total. Mbappe’s brace took him clear at the top of the Champions League scoring charts and underlined his growing influence in white.

The result lifts Real Madrid up to second in the league phase standings and leaves them firmly in control of their European destiny ahead of a final matchday trip to Benfica. Monaco, meanwhile, are left reeling after their heaviest European defeat, slipping to 20th and facing real danger of missing out on the play-offs as pressure mounts.

On a night when the Bernabeu demanded a statement, Madrid responded in devastating fashion. Monaco were brave, but they were simply overwhelmed by quality, pace and ruthless efficiency.