Mbappé misses penalty as Real Madrid loses 5th match of season

It has been a rocky season for football star Kylian Mbappé, who missed a penalty during Real Madrid's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday. While the club's head coach Carlo Ancelotti conceded that Liverpool deserved the win, he stated that Mbappé was in need of support.

"This has happened before (in my career) many times", Ancelotti told the press.

"I think when you're a striker you want to score. You get a bit disappointed in yourself [when you don't do that.] I think that there's a medicine which is to be patient. To be patient because I think it's a difficult moment [for him]. Everybody we've got to give him our support and he'll soon be fine", added Ancelotti.

Madrid has lost three of its last five games overall, sitting in 24th place this season. Asides from the Liverpool match, the club lost at home to Barcelona 4-0 and AC Milan 3-1.

This summer, Mbappé signed with the club for an undisclosed sum—many have claimed it was football's most expensive free transfer. The 25-year-old called this "a dream come true."

Earlier in the season, Mbappé took a break from France's Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium, focusing on recovering from his thigh injury.

However, headlines soon shifted away from this injury and towards Swedish media speculation, which tied Mbappé to a rape allegation in Stockholm, filed shortly after the player's trip to the city in October.

Ancelotti previously stated that Mbappé was not "affected at all" by these reports. Meanwhile, Mbappé called these reports "false and irresponsible".

Mbappé led France to a World Cup title when he was only a teenager, in 2018.

Real Madrid's captain Luka Modric knows first-hand the pressures that the club's players face. He stated that although Mbappé was experiencing a difficult transition, this was by no means a fixed feat.

“It is never easy to make your start at Madrid, the first seasons are tough,” Modric said. “But he is a player with a lot of experience. He is a star, and has been one of the best players in the world for several years now."

Mbappé and Madrid could have a good opportunity to get back to winning when they host Getafe in La Liga on Sunday.

“He has our backing and he knows how to get through this: By not losing confidence and working every day,” Modric said. “I am sure that he will find a way to pull through this and demonstrate why he is here.”