Why Kylian Mbappe Let Vinicius Jr. Take Penalty Kick Against Atletico Madrid
Vinicius Jr. missed a penalty kick during Wednesday's second leg contest against Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. Thankfully for the Brazilian, Real Madrid could advance, although the match needed extra time and a penalty kick shootout.
Nonetheless, some might want to know why Kylian Mbappe didn't attempt the penalty kick shot. The Frenchman has scored clutch penalty kick shots but on this occasion, he wanted to be a good teammate.
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Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Sport that Mbappe was dealing with two issues that prevented him from executing the penalty kick and left the shot for the Brazilian, who took it and went high.
Real Madrid won a penalty but Kylian Mbappe was not right. He struggled with his ankle and with a toenail that is coming off.
-Â Guillem Balague
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— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 13, 2025
Once Mbappe knew he couldn't take the penalty kick for Real Madrid, Balague shared what the former Paris Saint-Germain star told Vinicius Jr.
You had the penalty missed by Vinicius Jr in normal time. Mbappe said to Vinicius, I don't feel like kicking this; I am not ready, and walked away from it. Vini took it, and it went high.
-Â Guillem Balague
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— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 13, 2025
Atletico Madrid couldn't make Real Madrid pay for missing this scoring chance. The home side couldn't find the second goal after Conor Gallagher opened the scoring seconds into the match.
Nonetheless, Los Blancos overcame adversity and advanced. Carlo Ancelotti's side will now face another Premier League club in this knockout stage as they clash against Arsenal.
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Eduardo is an experienced freelance football writer covering Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG On SI. He also covers PSG for PSG Talk and French football for Ligue 1's official English website. He's contributed to NBC Sports' regional sports networks, including NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, providing in-depth sports content for those markets.