Bellingham confident Mbappe will bounce back after Liverpool penalty miss

Jude Bellingham is confident Kylian Mbappe will bounce back and produce “many huge moments” for Real Madrid, after the forward’s penalty was saved in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

The reigning Champions League holders were beaten for the third time in their opening five matches of this season’s competition, becoming the first defending champions to lose three games in the group stage after winning the title.

Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo maintained Liverpool’s perfect start to the campaign under Arne Slot, who oversaw a fifth win in as many games as they became the first side to qualify for the knockout stages.

Mbappe saw a chance to cancel out Mac Allister’s opener go begging, when Caoimhin Kelleher saved his 61st-minute penalty.

It was the France skipper’s latest setback in his difficult start to life with Madrid, but Bellingham empathised with his team-mate.

“It can happen,” the England midfielder told TNT Sports. “He is a wonderful player, but the pressure he holds is huge because of how good he is.

“The penalty is not why we lost the game. They performed better than us. I know that he will produce many more moments that will be huge for this club.”

On the game, he added: “To be fair, from the first minute, they took control of the game. We never really maximised the spells we had in possession. We turned it over so much that they kept control.

“They were more up for it than us, which is very disappointing to say. It is a bad result against the best-performing team in Europe.

“We are disappointed at how we have performed, and it is important that we win the next three games, and give ourselves a chance to go through.”

3 – Real Madrid are the first reigning Champions League winners to lose three games in the group stage after winning the title. Setback. pic.twitter.com/Qrq57ZpXVA

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 27, 2024