“Still not up to par”, Mbappé is lit by the Spanish press after his new missed penalty

The new penalty missed by Kylian Mbappé on Wednesday during Real Madrid's defeat in Bilbao (2-1) ignites the Spanish press who found a player still “absent”.

The lull did not last long for Kylian Mbappé. A week after his missed penalty and his lackluster performance at Liverpool (2-0), the Frenchman offered himself a little respite and comfort last weekend by scoring against Getafe (2-0). But he plunged back into full doubt on Wednesday by missing a new penalty during Real's setback at Athletic Bilbao (2-1) in La Liga. While he had the opportunity to equalize (68th), the 2018 world champion saw his attempt rejected by the opposing goalkeeper.

“What a disaster!”

A new failure which obviously appears on the front page of the Spanish sports newspapers, almost losing patience. “Still not up to par”, headlines the Madrid daily Marca, targeting both the team and its star striker “still absent”. An editorial published in the newspaper, however, points to a greater culprit in his eyes: Carlo Ancelotti. “The easiest thing is to target Kylian (Mbappé) and not tackle the real problem, which is in the team's plan. Or rather in the absence of a plan. What are Madrid playing at? Three and a half months competition has passed and no one knows.”

The other Madrid sports newspaper, As, shows a photo of Jude Bellingham falling into the arms of the Frenchman after his failure. “There is no consolation,” stings the headline. The Catalan press is also having a field day, like Sport, which displays the photo of Mbappé's run-up before his failure. With this title: “What a disaster!”. “KO Blanco”, notes Mundo Deportivo, the other Catalan newspaper, in a more measured manner.

“What’s happening to you Kylian?”

The show El Chiringuito was also disillusioned by this missed penalty. “What’s happening to you Kylian?” “Mbappé is the best in the world, but he doesn’t show it,” says consultant Javier Balboa. “Maybe today wasn’t the day to take the penalty.” The show's cameras were also on alert to follow Mbappé's arrival at the airport and scrutinize his eyes.