MADRID (Reuters) – Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe said scoring his first LaLiga goals for his new club on Sunday was a relief after drawing a blank in their first three league games of the season.
The France captain netted a second-half double to give the defending champions a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Betis, earning them their second league win of the new campaign.
“I’ve been happy ever since I arrived here,” Mbappe told DAZN. “People have given me a lot of affection here, even when I didn’t score, which was for three games. For some that doesn’t seem much but for me it was a lot!
“However, during the process, the club, the teammates, the fans … they have always been with me. Giving me confidence to score goals for this club.”
Coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw at lowly Las Palmas on Thursday, and still without midfielder Jude Bellingham due to a leg injury, the home side made another slow start against Betis.
But they finally got on the scoresheet with Mbappe’s brace – the first a close-range effort in the 67th and the second eight minutes later with a penalty after Vinicius Jr was brought down.
“It’s a great moment. I was really looking forward to scoring in this mythical stadium, the best in the world,” Mbappe said.
“But the most important thing is the victory. We had to win after Las Palmas, even though we faced a difficult game, as they all are against rivals here. But we are Real Madrid. And we won at last.”
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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