MADRID, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe said his side lacked the desire shown by Benfica in their 4-2 Champions League defeat on Wednesday, adding that the Spanish giants were failing to display the consistency expected of champions.
A 98th-minute header from Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin denied 15-times European champions Real an automatic place in the last 16, while the Portuguese side advanced to the playoffs on goal difference.
“It isn’t about quality, and it isn’t about tactics,” Mbappe, who scored twice in the match, told reporters.
“It’s about having more desire than your opponent. You could see that everything was on the line for Benfica, and you couldn’t see that for us, and that’s a problem.”
Real have endured a turbulent season following the departure of manager Xabi Alonso and a shock exit from the Spanish Cup at the last-16 stage to second-tier Albacete earlier this month.
They had won their previous three matches in all competitions under new coach Alvaro Arbeloa, but Wednesday’s defeat marked a setback.
“We aren’t being consistent in our play. We have to solve that,” Mbappe said. “We can’t do it one day, and then not another. A team of champions doesn’t do that.”
