Real Madrid responded to their 5-2 La Liga humbling by, securing an emphatic 5-0 victory over Champions League debutants Kairat Almaty on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappe, scored a hat-trick, propelling his UCL goal tally to five for the season and 60 for his career, making him the sixth-highest scorer in the competition's history, surpassing Thomas Muller.
The first goal arrived in the 25th minute after the hosts’ defensive error led to goalkeeper Sherhan Kalmurza fouling Franco Mastantuono in the box. Mbappe rifled the resulting penalty home. Despite Kairat creating some early half-chances, Real asserted control. Mbappe doubled the lead in the 52nd minute with a brilliant chip over the advancing Kalmurza, set up by a long kick from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The only interruption to Real's dominance came with a penalty call for Kairat in the 69th minute, when Dani Ceballos was penalized for a foul on Valeriy Gromyko. However, the decision was overturned after a VAR review. Mbappe quickly put the matter to rest in the 73rd minute, completing his treble with a from the edge of the box into the top corner following a run by substitute Rodrygo. This marked Mbappe’s fourth Champions League hat-trick, tying Filippo Inzaghi’s record for the most away hat-tricks in the competition's history.
Substitutes completed the rout in the final minutes. Rodrygo continued to influence the game by setting up Eduardo Camavinga for a headed goal in the 83rd minute, before Brahim Diaz sealed the victory with a close-range finish in stoppage time. The 5-0 win, secured after traveling over 7,000 kilometers, leaves Xabi Alonso’s side in a strong position in the standings as Kairat suffered their biggest defeat in European competition.
Despite the victory, Mbappe was self-critical, highlighting the team’s need to learn from the derby loss. “We must never forget... we have to keep thinking about what happened last weekend so we can learn from our mistakes and work to ensure it doesn’t happen again,”. The 26-year-old, who has netted 13 goals across all competitions this season, added, "A player like me, when he has five chances, wants and has to score all five... Three were very good, but I could have scored more.” Coach Alonso was quick to praise his performance, stating, “He's decisive in practically every game,” before echoing the need for continued focus ahead of their clash with Villarreal.
