JOSEPH WILSON
BARCELONA (AP) — Kylian Mbappe scored his 59th goal for Real Madrid in 2025 on Saturday, matching the club record for most goals in a year set by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The milestone almost eluded the French striker until he converted a penalty four minutes from time to complete a 2-0 win over Sevilla, who were down to ten men.
Mbappe equaled Cristiano's figure in 2013. Hugging his teammates, he celebrated the achievement with a mild version of the former Madrid player's typical celebration before blowing a kiss to the television cameras.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star, who joined Madrid in the summer of 2024, has scored 29 times for Real this season, including 18 league goals.
Jude Bellingham scored with a header in the 38th minute and Sevilla lost defender Marcao to a second booking for a reckless tackle with 20 minutes remaining. Sevilla coach Matias Almeida was also sent off by the referee at half-time.
Alonso has been under pressure for weeks following a string of poor results and an overall unconvincing performance from his star-studded team. The Spanish sports media is full of rumors about a possible replacement for the first-year coach.
Madrid president Florentino Perez will now have two weeks to think about the team's future ahead of their next match against Real Betis on January 4.
Alonso could not afford another mistake at the Santiago Bernabeu after his side had lost their previous two games. But Madrid fans still had reason to complain after Sevilla repeatedly created scoring opportunities even after being reduced to ten men.
Chilean Alexis Sanchez, still agile at 37, and right-back Juanlo Sanchez stood out more with Sevilla finding holes in Madrid's defence.
Madrid needed Thibaut Courtois to save Alexis, Isaac Romero and Alfonso Gonzalez four times in the second half. But Sevilla could have taken the lead if they had shown more accuracy in their finishing at first.
The result was still in doubt until Mbappe converted a penalty after Juanlu fouled Rodrigo in the penalty area.
Madrid are in second place, one point behind Barcelona, before the leaders visit third-placed Villarreal on Sunday.
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AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
