Madrid, Jan 21 (V7N) — Despite concerns among fans following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso and the appointment of Álvaro Arbeloa as head coach, Real Madrid delivered a dominant performance by crushing Monaco 6-1 in the UEFA Champions League at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Kylian Mbappé starred for Los Blancos with a brace, while Vinícius Júnior contributed one goal and two assists. Franco Mastantuono and Jude Bellingham also found the back of the net in a commanding display.

Real Madrid, who had fallen behind in the race for the top spot after losing two of their previous three Champions League matches, started aggressively. Mbappé opened the scoring in the 5th minute, sending the home crowd into celebration. The French forward doubled the lead in the 26th minute, completing his brace and giving Real a comfortable 2-0 advantage at halftime.

The hosts continued their dominance after the break. In the 51st minute, Mastantuono made it 3-0, finishing an angled shot to the far post after receiving a precise assist from Vinícius Júnior inside the penalty area.

Just four minutes later, Monaco defender Thilo Kehrer inadvertently turned the ball into his own net while attempting to clear Vinícius’ cross, extending Real’s lead to 4-0. In the 63rd minute, Vinícius himself got on the scoresheet, making it 5-0 with a clinical finish.

Monaco managed a consolation goal eight minutes later following a defensive error by Real Madrid. However, Jude Bellingham sealed the emphatic victory in the 80th minute, scoring the sixth goal and putting the final nail in Monaco’s coffin.

With this convincing 6-1 win, Real Madrid sent a strong message in the Champions League and eased doubts surrounding the new coaching regime under Arbeloa.

END/SMA/AJ