Dec 05, (V7N) - Kylian Mbappé took full responsibility for his penalty miss as Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Wednesday. The French forward's penalty miss, following a similar failure in the Champions League against Liverpool last week, added to his struggles as Madrid's defeat allowed Barcelona to maintain a four-point lead at the top of the table.

Athletic Bilbao took the lead early in the second half through Alejandro Berenguer, with Jude Bellingham equalizing for Madrid after Mbappé's penalty miss. However, substitute Gorka Guruzeta scored in the 80th minute, capitalizing on an error by Fede Valverde, to secure the win for Bilbao.

Mbappé, who has scored 10 goals in his first 20 games for Madrid, expressed disappointment over the penalty miss in a social media post, saying, "A big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility for it. A difficult moment, but it's the best time to change this situation and show who I am."

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that Mbappé was feeling down but emphasized the need for him to continue working hard and adapting to his new environment. Despite the miss, Mbappé was involved in Madrid's equalizer, firing a shot from distance that was parried into the path of Bellingham, who scored.

The defeat was Madrid's fifth of the season, with Vinícius Júnior and other key players sidelined due to injury. Ancelotti expressed optimism, saying, "Bit by bit we will get players back (from injury) and we will improve our level."

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