Mbappé leads Real to 2-1 win over Marseille

Mbappé scores twice to secure victory

French superstar Kylian Mbappé was the standout performer, scoring both of Real Madrid's goals (29’ and 81’, both from penalties) after Marseille opened the scoring through American Timothy Weah in the 22nd minute. The goals raised Mbappé’s Champions League tally to 57.

Real plays with 10 men again

Despite the win, Real Madrid played the majority of the second half with ten men following the red card of captain Dani Carvajal in the 72nd minute. This came after an early substitution due to injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold in just the 4th minute — marking the second consecutive match Real finished with ten players, following a similar scenario in their 2-1 La Liga win over Real Sociedad.

Challenging road ahead for Real Madrid

Looking ahead, Real Madrid faces a long trip to Kazakhstan to meet Kairat Al-Karachi in the second round. They will also face Juventus, Liverpool, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Monaco, and finally Benfica — who surprisingly lost 3-2 to Qarabag after leading 2-0.