January 21, (THEWILL) — Real Madrid delivered a crushing 6-1 victory over Monaco in their opening UEFA Champions League fixture under newly appointed manager Alvaro Arbeloa. The comprehensive win lifted Madrid to second place in the 36-team table, strengthening their position for a favourable seeding in the knockout stages. Monaco, managed by Sebastien Pocognoli, now face the prospect of early elimination from the competition.
Kylian Mbappe needed just five minutes to open the scoring against his former employers, finding the bottom-left corner following link-up play involving Franco Mastantuono and Federico Valverde. The French forward doubled his tally before the break with a straightforward finish from a Vinicius Junior cross, after Eduardo Camavinga’s clever flick had unlocked the Monaco defence. Jordan Teze struck the crossbar for the visitors, but that proved their only meaningful first-half opportunity.
Madrid extended their advantage after the interval through Mastantuono, who scored his maiden UCL goal in the 3-0 lead. The Argentine teenager finished across goalkeeper Philipp Kohn after an excellent turn and pass from Vinicius. Thilo Kehrer then inadvertently diverted a Vinicius delivery into his own net before the Brazilian finally got on the scoresheet himself in the 63rd minute, taking Arda Guler’s pass and hammering a right-footed effort into the roof of the net.
Vinicius had endured jeers from sections of the home support during Saturday’s 2-0 LaLiga victory over Levante, but his response on European duty silenced any critics. Teze pulled a goal back for Monaco after substitute Dani Ceballos surrendered possession cheaply in his own penalty area, drilling home to make it 5-1. However, Jude Bellingham restored the five-goal margin 10 minutes from time, rounding Kohn to complete the rout.
The emphatic triumph marks an impressive start to Arbeloa’s tenure in the UCL and sends a clear statement of intent from the Spanish giants. Monaco will need to regroup quickly if they are to salvage their campaign and avoid an early exit from Europe’s premier club competition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
