Kylian Mbappe is crouched next to a small boy in a Racing Santander shirt, filmed in the El Sardinero corridors on Saturday evening.
“How are you? Are you all right? The problem is that Tchouameni does not know how to shoot, does he?” he says to the child, according to africasoccer.
The boy laughs. There is a high-five and a photograph.
He is Maximo, and he had spent part of the second half in tears. A powerful Aurelien Tchouameni shot from outside the box had cleared the crossbar and dropped into the north stand, striking him in the crowd. His father comforted him before Real Madrid staff invited the pair down to meet the players in the dressing-room area.
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Tchouameni went first. He apologized in person and gave Maximo a signed Real Madrid shirt. Mbappe arrived with the joke that pinned the blame straight back on his teammate.
Three points off Barcelona
The match itself was comfortable for the visitors. Mbappe opened the scoring from the penalty spot around the 12th minute, converting after being brought down by Alvaro Mantilla. Jude Bellingham doubled the lead in the 22nd. Yan Diomande added a third in the 37th, meeting a poor Racing clearance first-time on the half-volley and finding the top-left corner.
The afternoon was not without a scare for Real Madrid. The referee initially pointed to the penalty spot for a handball by Tchouameni, before overturning the decision after a VAR review that judged the contact to have come off a deflection.
Bellingham’s goal was his 50th in Real Madrid colors. He passed Zinedine Zidane’s tally 76 matches sooner than the Frenchman managed. Real Madrid sit third in La Liga, three points off Barcelona.
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The boy born on Madrid’s biggest night
Maximo’s father told reporters at the stadium that the family support both clubs with a particular affection for Real Madrid. The boy was born on the day the Spanish side won their 14th Champions League title.
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