Real Madrid vs Monaco delivered a ruthless Champions League statement as Los Blancos demolished the French side 6-1 at the Bernabeu, with Kylian Mbappe once again punishing his former club.
In what was Alvaro Arbeloa’s first Champions League match in charge, Real Madrid produced one of their most dominant performances of the season to move closer to automatic qualification for the knockout rounds.
Madrid needed just five minutes to take the lead. Federico Valverde found Mbappe inside the box and the forward calmly fired a low shot into the corner, immediately setting the tone for the night.
The early goal unsettled Monaco and Real Madrid continued to press aggressively. Their dominance was rewarded again in the 26th minute when Mbappe doubled his tally, finishing off a slick team move involving Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior.
The Bernabeu crowd responded warmly, especially after Mbappe had earlier urged fans not to turn on the players following recent criticism. By half-time, Real Madrid were firmly in control with a 2-0 advantage.
Madrid showed no signs of slowing down after the break. Teenager Franco Mastantuono made it 3-0 in the 51st minute, scoring his first Champions League goal after another incisive assist from Vinicius Junior.
Just four minutes later, Monaco’s night worsened when Thilo Kehrer turned the ball into his own net while attempting to intercept a dangerous low cross from Vinicius, extending Real Madrid’s lead to four.
Vinicius then got the goal his performance deserved. The Brazilian forward unleashed a powerful strike that flew in off the underside of the crossbar, making it 5-0 and underlining Madrid’s total superiority.
Monaco briefly reduced the deficit through Jordan Teze after capitalising on a rare error while Madrid tried to play out from the back, but the goal did little to change the overall pattern of the match.
Jude Bellingham rounded off the scoring in the 80th minute, calmly taking the ball around the goalkeeper before finishing to register his first goal of 2026 and complete a devastating 6-1 win.
The result leaves Real Madrid second in the Champions League table with 15 points. A positive result away at Benfica in their final group match would secure direct qualification to the last 16 and avoid the play-off round.
For Monaco, the defeat was damaging. They now sit outside the automatic qualification places and must defeat Juventus in their final fixture to keep their European hopes alive.
With Mbappe in outstanding form and young talents blending seamlessly with experience, Real Madrid once again look well placed to challenge deep into the competition as the Champions League progresses.
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Full match details can be found via the BBC: BBC Sport – Real Madrid vs Monaco
