Mbappé leads the leader – AS.com

Three days. Four, at most. That is the time established by football to contract a depression or get out of it. In that express world, Madrid devastated in Arabia, rushed in the Cup, censored by his public, criticized by the Press, leads the League, distances Barça by seven points and is officially rebuilt. From a state of siege to a state of optimism in one week. The dopamine rush could be summed up in the updating of Mbappé as a world star, in the growth of Rodrygo in the band that Vinicius takes away from him, in the exemplary nature of Brahim and in the rehabilitation of the midfield that offers the good footing of the best Ceballos, who came out applauded. All in the same day and against a rival who was very lax in marking. The ideal thing for the winter 'sorpasso' party at the Bernabéu. Even Lucas and Fran García, who came out to assist each other, more than paid their debt in defense in attack. There was even time to receive Alaba again, 399 days later. It will be greatly missed from now on.

It was a weekend of action and at the Bernabéu they sounded shots before the intro. The first, at 27 seconds, fully hit Madrid's hitherto fragile morale. Also that of Lucas Vázquez, who He left his back exposed so that Fabio Silva could shoot Courtois after Moleiro was hospitalized and precise center from Sandro. Too early to defend him against a Madrid that was presumably going to unleash itself. It was the Moleiro moment, elf in the land of elves, as beautiful as it was brief.

What came next also confirmed the predictions: two teams that attack well, especially Madrid, and defend poorly, especially Las Palmas. Brahim missed a goal into an empty net, Fabio Silva hit a shot into the side netting, Cillessen put an angel's hand on Mbappé's shot that was deflected by McKenna. And finally, the tie, a gift from Sandro, who without caution, sent a Rodrygo who was retreating to the ground in his own area. A striker in his own area usually ends up being a meddler. It was transformed by Mbappé, who previously saw the goal as a jewelry box and now as a hangar. Believe it, they were not the highlightsit was the match.

A white gale

Due to the thinness of the squad, the abundance of injuries and personal tastes, Ancelotti gets an eleven almost on the fly week after week. To begin with, the one that faced Las Palmas, without the suspended Modric and Vinicius, without the injured Camavinga and without the last-minute fallen Tchouameni, who would have been amnestied by the public thanks to the mediation of Leganés and Getafe. He will hardly be central again, that hunch of Ancelotti's that ended up being stubborn. A team with Rodrygo on the left, definitely his garden. There he felt overflowing, deep and happy. Your game is huge.

Las Palmas, which also has its casualties, presented a cautious team, with a deep defender, Mika Marmol, as a defensive pivot. It did not help them protect themselves better, because by tradition and by squad they are a team that breathes with the ball and suffocates if it is taken away from them.

Madrid, faced with the great opportunity to scare away the competition, took it away. Attack against attack, Diego Martínez's team had everything to lose. And they started to lose when Mbappé took off his shirt, a gale. Towed by the team to San Mamés, today it is the leader's locomotive. In three minutes he made it 2-1, with a shot that Cillessen rejected as best he could to later be defenseless against Lucas Vázquez and Brahim, the final executor, and to make, in first person, the third, in a first-time shot near the top corner. . He also They annulled a third goal, from a pass from the fabulous Rodrygo, due to one of those offside interference whose interpretation has been so manipulated that now we have to go look at the latest instruction manualand sent a low shot to the post. It was the best Madrid in the championship, not only in play, but in will, intensity, pressure and ambition. And the Mbappé who had been trying to sign Madrid for five years.

Rodrygo and the Red

At half-time, Las Palmas decided that they no longer deserved to fight the game, but rather to take out the umbrella. Diego Martínez ordered a defense of five to brick Madrid's transitions, but there was no vaccine to stop the bleeding. Before the hour mark everything was over: Rodrygo scored the fourth in a play started by Mbappé, the beginning of everything.

Las Palmas was definitively exposed to the elements when Benito was sent off for a martial arts strike that marked Lucas Vázquez's hip. He had been on the field for 18 minutes. Such an extraordinarily favorable situation gave room for everything: the return of Alaba, minutes for Arda Güler and Endrick, who on Thursday revealed himself to be a caged tiger, prizes for youth players Chema and Lorenzo Aguado, a brilliant disallowed goal (third of the afternoon) for Valverde and a certain final relaxation to think about the Champions League. Mbappé is here and Madrid is back.

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