Ancelotti left hoping Mbappe injury is not serious after Champions League win

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is hoping that Kylian Mbappe will not be ruled out for a long period of time after the striker was injured shortly after scoring the opener in their 3-2 win away to Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The goal was Mbappe’s 12th in 22 appearances for Real Madrid this season and fourth in six matches in all competitions.

Real Madrid have struggled with injuries this season, with plenty of key players missing significant periods. Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, for example, are out for the remainder of the campaign having suffered ACL tears.

“Mbappe has suffered an overload, an ischial (lower pelvis) discomfort,” Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.

“It doesn’t seem serious, but we’ll see tomorrow after the exams. He couldn’t sprint, it was bothering him a bit and we decided to make the substitution.”

1 – Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Jr. and Jude Bellingham have all three scored in the same game for Real Madrid for the first time in all competitions (14 games). BMV. pic.twitter.com/P38IVRCJQX

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 10, 2024

Despite having initially been on the end of some criticism after his move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, Mbappe looked close to his best here and was in a decent spell of form.

So, he will be disappointed to have picked up the injury after just 35 minutes, when he was replaced by Rodrygo.

Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham both scored in a topsy-turvy game, which saw Real Madrid climb to 18th in the 36-team league and open a two-point gap between themselves and dropping out of the play-off spots.

“It’s a very important victory, not everyone wins here,” said Ancelotti.

“We suffered and fought hard, there is no Champions League without suffering. They were pushing, but we started well in the second half. We are very happy. It was a win that is very good for us, not just for the points, but to build confidence.

“It’s still difficult to finish in the top eight, but we have two games to pick up points. Let’s see what happens.”