Real Madrid thrashes Monaco 6-1 in the Champions League

January 21, 2026 / 11:19 AM

Sharjah 24: Real Madrid defeated Monaco 6-1 in the seventh round of the Champions League group stage. In Madrid, French star Kylian Mbappé and Brazilian Vinicius Junior led their team to regain lost momentum and return to winning ways in the prestigious continental competition after their previous 1-2 defeat against Manchester City. This victory marked Arbeloa's first Champions League win and his second overall, following a 2-0 win against Levante in La Liga

Arbeloa told Movistar: "The players won this match thanks to their effort and quality. I loved their attitude and their technical level. This spirit and ambition is what all Real Madrid fans want to see."

Angry fans

Arbeloa, who succeeded Xabi Alonso as manager of Real Madrid, began his tenure with a shocking 2-3 defeat to second-division side Albacete, exiting the Copa del Rey in the round of 16.

This loss, which followed a 2-3 defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final that effectively ended Alonso's tenure, led to Real Madrid fans directing their anger at their players, particularly during the first half of the Levante match. English star Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior were especially targeted, while Mbappé escaped the fans' jeers, some of whom chanted for the resignation of club president Florentino Pérez.

Light at the end of the tunnel

But Real Madrid may find themselves with an exceptional opportunity to turn the page after capitalising on Barcelona's 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad, reducing the gap to just one point in La Liga. Their victory on Tuesday also boosted their Champions League tally to 15 points, temporarily placing them second in the group, pending Bayern Munich's (also on 15 points) match against Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday.

Real Madrid struck early, opening the scoring after just five minutes through Kylian Mbappé, who followed up a pass from Fede Valverde with a first-time shot into the far corner against his former club (5).

The Frenchman then doubled his team's lead after Eduardo Camavinga cleverly deflected the ball, before Vinicius Junior surged forward and crossed it to Mbappé, who slotted it home for his eleventh goal in the continental competition this season (26).

Stunning goal

The home side continued their dominance in the second half, with Franco Mastantuño adding a third goal after another assist from Vinicius (51).

Under constant pressure from the Madrid giants, particularly through Vinicius's movements, German defender Thilo Kehrer scored an own goal (55'). The Brazilian then capped off his brilliant evening with a stunning goal, a rocket of a shot into the top corner (63').

After Dutchman Jordan Teze pulled one back for Monaco (72'), Bellingham insisted on adding his name to the scoresheet, rounding Swiss goalkeeper Philippe Kuhn and slotting the ball into an empty net (80').

Frenchman Aurélien Tchouaméni said: "That's Vinicius for me. When we play well, the fans are very happy to be here. It was a fantastic night tonight at the Bernabéu."