Kylian Mbappé reminded Europe why he is one of football’s deadliest forwards, scoring a brilliant hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 5-0 win over Champions League debutants Kairat Almaty on Tuesday night.
The victory was a perfect response after Madrid’s shock 5-2 defeat to city rivals Atlético Madrid in La Liga last weekend.
The French superstar opened the scoring in the 25th minute from the penalty spot after teenage goalkeeper Sherhan Kalmurza fouled Franco Mastantuono in the box.
He doubled Madrid’s lead in the 52nd minute with a moment of sheer class—outrunning the defence to latch onto Thibaut Courtois’ long kick before calmly chipping over the keeper.
Mbappé sealed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute, smashing a thunderous strike into the top corner after a dazzling run by substitute Rodrygo.
“It’s my job to help the team win trophies. When I get chances, I have to take them—that’s why Madrid signed me,” Mbappé told Spanish TV after the match.
Although Kairat started brightly and even thought they had a penalty in the 69th minute, a VAR review overturned the decision. From there, Madrid took complete control.
Rodrygo set up Eduardo Camavinga for a headed goal in the 83rd minute, and Brahim Díaz added the fifth in stoppage time to complete the rout.
The result puts Madrid in a strong position in the new Champions League league phase, while Kairat—playing their first-ever group-stage campaign—were left ruing costly defensive mistakes.
For Real Madrid fans, it was a night of reassurance. Their marquee signing delivered exactly what he was bought for: goals, and lots of them.
