The Spanish press widely praised French striker Kylian Mbappe after he scored his first hat-trick with Real Madrid in the difficult victory over Olympiacos, 4 -3, in the match that was held on Wednesday evening in the 5th round of the Champions League.The media in Spain considered that Mbappe was not just the star of the match, but the first savior of coach Xabi Alonso on an evening in which the Madrid team struggled defensively.Mbappe, 26 years old, played one of the best matches of his European career, scoring 4 goals at halftime, giving his team an important victory that returned it to the top of its group. This distinguished performance made the Spanish press treat him as the player who changes the features of Real Madrid and reshapes its season.The newspaper «Marca», known for its proximity to the club, gave him a full score of 10 out of 10, and wrote: «He is an insatiable player. Unstoppable, he plays with a tremendous desire to score. He returns to the dressing room with only 4 goals because he didn't get any more balls. It's going towards a record, towards...
In other coverage, the same newspaper considered that the night in which a major European match was expected for Real Madrid had in fact turned into a night dedicated to Mbappe alone. In a radio program affiliated with it, commentators praised his leadership role, stressing that «Mbappe carries the team in many matches» and that his influence has become pivotal in Xabi Alonso remaining in his position.As for the newspaper «ABC», it focused on the psychological aspect of Mbappe, noting that he entered the match after 3 matches without scoring, but he showed the character of a player who gets up under pressure. The newspaper wrote: «He played as if he were in a public test, in which he wanted to prove that when the pressure increases, he is the player who appears first». She added: «Mbappe and Vinicius decided together that Xabi Alonso should remain in his seat for the time being».
For its part, the press close to Barcelona, such as the newspaper «Sport», exploited the performance to link the coach's fate to the brilliance of the French striker. The newspaper headlined: «Mbappe and Vinicius avoid a Greek tragedy in Athens», usually saying that Mbappe «came to rescue Xabi Alonso». She talked about «7 minutes of demolition», referring to his scoring of 3 goals in less than 7 minutes, which is the second fastest hat-trick in the history of the tournament. The newspaper continued its analogy, saying: «Mbappe turned to Hercules to snatch the last nail from Xabi Alonso's coffin, which was planted by Quijinho in the eighth minute».
In the newspaper «Mundo Deportivo», the description was repeated that Mbappe was «the hero in Xabi Alonso's ongoing Odyssey», with reference to the growing concern about Real Madrid's defensive performance, after the team conceded 3 goals against Olympiacos, and after its uncertain draw with Elche a few days ago. An opinion piece stated: «If Mbappe scores 4 goals and you find yourself suffering, it means something is happening. When he scores 4 goals in one match and yet the night ends with anxiety, this indicates a real problem at Real Madrid».However, the press saw that Mbappe put himself back on the scoring track after a period of silence, scoring a decisive quadruple and a historic quick triple, but without the team succeeding in coming out with a quiet evening.
