Mbappe shows why he is a Real leader

Two things happened for Real Madrid in the first three minutes. The first set the tone for the 2-1 home win against Marseille, Real Madrid will hope they can live down the consequences of the second.

- Dhiman Sarkar

The clock showed 1:54 when Kylian Mbappe almost scored with a scissors-kick. So audacious was the attempt that once off the floor, Mbappe was seen smiling. Less than a minute later, Trent Alexander-Arnold was holding his left hamstring. Enter Dani Carvajal whose exit in the 72nd minute following a straight red card could spoil subsequent European nights.

About Mbappe first. He had 10 shots on the night, five on target. Mbappe's brace from the penalty spot took his Real Madrid goal tally to 50 in 64 matches. He has 17 goals in Real's last 15 games. Tuesday's double meant his Champions League tally moved to 57 goals in 88 matches spread over three clubs. It is the seventh-highest and Mbappe is only 26.

Mbappe is continuing from where he left off last term when he won the European Golden Shoe for 31 league goals which was best among the world’s top five leagues. In his first season at Real, Mbappe had 44 goals in all competitions. The tally included eight goals in his last five La Liga matches, three of them coming against Barcelona ina 3-4 defeat. “Tknew Thad to do more,” he had said in January. By the end of the season, it was evident he had.