Oviedo-Real Madrid: Mbappé scores again, a combative newcomer and a desperate referee... The highs and lows

TOPS

Mbappé sees double

Him again! Despite some technical inaccuracies, especially early on, Kylian Mbappé was once again decisive in Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Real Oviedo on the second day of La Liga. The former Parisian opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a superb cross after a magnificent turn. The Bondy native put the Casa Blanca on the right track. He often combined with Rodrygo, then Vinicius , once the Brazilian number 7 had come on to replace his compatriot. It was the latter who passed a superb ball to Mbappé in the box. The French captain then made the breakthrough (83rd). A good match from the Monegasque player who already has three goals in two La Liga matches to his name.

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After a very difficult first half in which Oviedo's attacking players barely saw the light of day, the newly promoted Asturian side showed their mettle in the second half. Ilyas Chaira and Nacho Vidal, each on their own flank, broke through on several occasions and really bothered Madrid's defensive line. The main danger came from Sigo, who smashed Thibaut Courtois' post in the 81st minute, when the score was only 1-0 for Kylian Mbappé's teammates. A regret no doubt for the Ghanaian, since the Frenchman scored a few moments later. This Oviedo, often led by Santi Cazorla last season, has resources and could well pose problems for more than one La Liga team this season.

Rodrygo in great shape for his return

Omnipresent is probably the right word to describe Rodrygo's performance, especially his first half. The Brazilian had energy this Sunday after weeks of grinding away at the bench. Always dangerous on his flank, he constantly broke through and infiltrated Oviedo's box, putting the promoted team's defenders to the test. His numerous shots were each time blocked or deflected by the goalkeeper, but Rodrygo was able to show Xabi Alonso that he could be counted on. His second half, more discreet, ended in the 63rd minute, when he was replaced by his compatriot Vinicius, who made a fine entrance and even scored the goal of chaos in added time.

FLOPS

Non-existent Rondon

Salomon Rondon at the forefront of the attack to challenge Real Madrid looked like a nightmare for Xabi Alonso. The Venezuelan had been a major factor in the Merengue's defense with his club Pachuca during the group stage of the Club World Cup. He was transferred to Oviedo during the offseason. This Sunday evening, Rondon was unfortunately far too discreet, if not invisible. We saw very little of him throughout the match, even though his club had several scoring opportunities. He was certainly pushed by Huijsen in the box when he could have turned to shoot past Thibaut Courtois, but other than that... it was a tough evening for the Venezuelan, who is still adapting to his new surroundings.

The passivity of the Madrid collective

Real Madrid had a big moment in the second half, but not the one you'd expect. It was Oviedo who caused the Merengue problems on numerous occasions in the second half. The Madrid players even came close to a penalty in the 81st minute when Ghanaian Sigo hit the post. The passivity of Xabi Alonso's team when he didn't have the ball is worrying. Only Aurélien Tchouameni, a pillar of the Spanish coach's system, really struggled to make an effort. Even in possession, Federico Valverde, usually so effective, almost never brought the ball up. Young Spanish defender Dean Huijsen wasn't always reassuring in his defensive interventions. Xabi Alonso has work to do to make this Real Madrid functional.

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In the first half, the main name on the lips of both Oviedo and Real Madrid fans was probably Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, the match referee. The man in black made a series of surprising decisions, not helped by the muted video assistant. The first incident came in the 13th minute when Rüdiger was brought down by a defender of the newly promoted team in the box. It was already a close call, but moments later, Franco Mastantuono broke into the Oviedo 16-yard box but was stopped with his arm and pushed to the ground by Dani Calvo. Two very contentious situations.

Also read : Real Madrid: in video, Mbappé's goal which caused controversy after a big foul by Tchouaméni

Then, Aurélien Tchouameni continued to torment the opposing players with tackles from behind, each more dangerous than the last, without any foul being called or cards being issued, which provoked the anger of the Oviedo players on the first goal of the match since Real recovered the ball after a very borderline tackle by the former Bordeaux player. Surprising actions of this kind being to the disadvantage of both teams, the referee must have just wanted to let play continue as much as possible without stopping the game. In the second half, there were no other facts of this kind to report.