MADRID — Coach Álvaro Arbeloa maintained that Real Madrid‘s hopes of advancing in the Champions League are “still alive” following Kylian Mbappé‘s goal in the second half, despite Madrid suffering a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in their quarterfinal first leg on Tuesday.
After a strong start from the visitors, Luis Díaz opened the scoring for Bayern in the 41st minute at the Bernabéu, and Harry Kane quickly extended their lead just 20 seconds after the break.
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Mbappé scored with his 14th goal in this season’s Champions League, keeping the tie competitive ahead of next Wednesday’s return match in Munich.
“We are still in it, that’s for sure,” Arbeloa shared with Movistar. “We’re just one goal down. We have the ability to win anywhere. A 0-2 deficit would have been very hard to turn around… I was telling [Vinícius Júnior] that one goal keeps us in the tie. We’re capable of winning away from home.”
Before the match, Mbappé faced scrutiny due to a dip in the team’s form following his injury return, which included a loss to Mallorca in LaLiga on Saturday.
“To me, Mbappé seemed very dedicated,” Arbeloa remarked later in the press conference. “He caused problems for them. He demonstrated why he’s regarded as the best player in the world and consistently threatened their defense; that’s the Mbappé we desire to see.”
Following the defeat to Mallorca, Madrid now trails league leaders Barcelona by seven points, making the Champions League their best opportunity for silverware this season.
“The loss to Bayern was one we could have averted with a bit more fortune in the second half,” Arbeloa noted. “We made two mistakes, two careless passes that we must eliminate. Against teams of this caliber, those errors come at a cost.”
“Mbappé’s goal instilled hope… It won’t be easy, but if any team can triumph in Munich, it’s Real Madrid.”
Madrid will miss midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni for the second leg due to suspension after receiving a yellow card on Tuesday.
“We’ll have time to consider [replacing Tchouameni]; we have options,” Arbeloa concluded. “It’s a significant loss.”