Mbappe Explodes with Stunning Hat Trick as Real Madrid Demolish Kairat 5-0
Real Madrid secured their second consecutive Champions League victory under Xabi Alonso's guidance, defeating Kairat 3–0 in their inaugural encounter at Ortalyq Stadium.
The 15-time European titleholders traveled 4,000 miles from Madrid to Almaty, Kazakhstan just one day after enduring a humiliating 5–2 loss to Atlético Madrid. Alonso's squad needed to rapidly refocus from the one-sided city derby to their European campaign.
Despite being overwhelming favorites against Kairat, Real Madrid were anticipated to control proceedings against the Kazakhstan Premier League side. However, the Spanish powerhouse appeared sluggish in the opening period, permitting the home team to generate several promising scoring opportunities that tested Thibaut Courtois and Los Blancos' backline.
Real Madrid gradually found their rhythm and broke the deadlock through Franco Mastantuono. The Argentine surged toward goal with an explosive sprint along the right wing, causing Sherkhan Kalmurza to abandon his goal line and confront the winger. The 18-year-old goalkeeper completely fouled Mastantuono, however, compelling the official to award a penalty.
Mbappé converted flawlessly from the penalty spot and netted his 11th goal of the campaign to give his team a 1–0 advantage in the 25th minute. The spot-kick was the sole goal Real Madrid scored before the halftime break.
Los Blancos' underwhelming first-half performance was quickly erased just before the 60-minute mark. Courtois launched a speculative long pass toward Mbappé during a counter-attack, catching Kairat's defense off-guard. The French striker utilized his speed to penetrate the penalty area and lob the goalkeeper for his second strike of the evening.
It seemed inevitable that Mbappé would complete his maiden hat-trick of the season. The 26-year-old accomplished this in spectacular fashion, unleashing a right-footed thunderbolt into the net in the 73rd minute.
Subsequently, Eduardo Camavinga joined the scoring, becoming only the second Real Madrid player to find the net in this Champions League campaign. His goal, alongside Mbappé's third, was set up by Rodrygo, who delivered a brilliant performance in the closing stages.
The Spanish giants comfortably closed out the contest, with Brahim Díaz even adding a goal during injury time. Real Madrid easily claimed three points to maintain their perfect European record under Alonso.
Review Real Madrid's player ratings from the encounter below.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Kairat (4-2-3-1)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Position / Player | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 8.6 |
RB: Raúl Asencio | 7.1 |
CB: Dean Huijsen | 8.7 |
CB: David Alaba | 7.3 |
LB: Fran García | 7.5 |
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni | 7.4 |
DM: Dani Ceballos | 7.8 |
RW: Franco Mastantuono | 7.3 |
AM: Arda Güler | 8.3 |
LW: Vinícius Júnior | 6.6 |
ST: Kylian Mbappé | 9.7 |
SUB: Rodrygo (70' for Vinícius Júnior) | 7.7 |
SUB: Brahim Díaz (70' for Mastantuono) | 7.3 |
SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (80' for Tchouaméni) | 7.6 |
SUB: Jude Bellingham (80' for Güler) | 6.5 |
SUB: Gonzalo García (81' for Mbappé) | N/A |
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Javi Navarro (GK), Álvaro Carreras, David Jiménez, Fede Valverde, Endrick.
Player of the Match: Kylian Mbappé
Kairat (4-4-2): Sherkhan Kalmurza; Yerkin Tapalov, Aleksandr Martynovich, Egor Sorokin, Luís Mata; Aleksandr Mrynskiy, Damir Kasabulat, Ofri Arad, Valeriy Gromyko; Jorginho, Dastan Satpaev.
Subs: Olzhas Baybek, Edmilson Filho, Jug Stanojev, Giorgi Zaria, Ricardinho.