Xabi Alonso defended his decision to play Kylian Mbappé for all of Real Madrid’s nervous 3-2 Copa del Rey win at Talavera on Wednesday, saying the forward “was decisive with his goals.”
Mbappé scored twice and created a third goal as Madrid struggled to beat third-tier Talavera, with Madrid keeper Andriy Lunin making a spectacular added-time save to prevent the hosts from forcing extra time.
The France international is chasing Cristiano Ronaldo‘s club record of 59 goals in a calendar year — a mark the Portugal star hit in 2013 — with his Copa brace taking him to 58 ahead of Madrid’s final game of 2025, hosting Sevilla on Saturday.
“[Mbappé] was decisive with his goals,” Alonso said in his postmatch news conference. “Kylian always has that knack for scoring. The third goal was key, it was very important, and that’s why we kept him on the field.
“Mission accomplished, and on to the next one.”
Mbappé was one of a number of key Madrid players to feature against Talavera, with Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Rodrygo all being introduced as late substitutes.
Madrid have now won two games this week — having beaten Alavés 2-1 in LaLiga on Sunday — but were again unconvincing.
“These things happen in the cup,” Alonso said. “It happened to us, and I’ve seen it happen to other teams.
“Even after going 1-3 up, we conceded the foul, the 2-3 [free kick], they pressed hard and they got back into the game.”
ESPN has reported that Madrid’s 2-0 home loss to Celta Vigo on Dec. 7 led senior club executives to discuss Alonso’s future in the job.
“The objective [against Talavera] was to progress. We’ve achieved that, and that’s why I leave satisfied and happy,” Alonso said on Wednesday. “What we’ve lacked is consistency, and a consistent performance throughout games, closing off the match and being more mature.”