Kylian Mbappe said he felt no pressure to score his first La Liga goal after netting twice in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Real Betis on Sunday.
Mbappé scored twice in the second half at the Santiago Bernabéu – the first from a backheel assist from Federico Valverde and the second from the penalty spot – after three league games without finding the net.
“The pressure I have is to adapt to the team,” Mbappé told reporters after the match. “I've scored goals all my career, I'll score goals for sure. The goals will come. Three games [without scoring] It's a lot for me, but it's okay, I have the trust of my teammates.”
Mbappe opened his account for Madrid against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup last month but then failed to score against Real Mallorca, Real Valladolid and Las Palmas in LaLiga as Madrid drew two of their first three league games.
“There's no pressure, this is football,” Mbappé said on Sunday. “I have my quality. I'm here to be Kylian. There's no pressure. I'm happy, I want to work.”
Mbappé took a total of nine shots in the match against Betis, but failed to score any until he found the net in the 67th minute.
“It was a great moment,” Mbappé told Real Madrid TV. “I was waiting to score in this legendary stadium, the best in the world. The fans show me a lot of affection, even when I wasn't scoring.”
“We never put pressure on him to score goals,” admitted coach Carlo Ancelotti in the press conference after the match. “Kylian had a good game. He was very effective in the box, he took advantage of his chances, he worked hard.”
“It was important for him to score, but we value the teamwork.”
Ancelotti praised Mbappé's teammate Vinícius Júnior, who was penalised for the penalty but allowed Mbappé to take the free-kick.
“Vinícius was very altruistic in letting Kylian take the penalty,” said Ancelotti. “They have a good relationship.”
Madrid are now second in LaLiga, four points behind leaders Barcelona, heading into the international break.
