By Olaitan Ibrahim
Real Madrid produced a stirring Champions League comeback at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night, overcoming a spirited Marseille side 2-1 despite playing the final 20 minutes with ten men.
The night began with tension as Kylian Mbappé, Madrid’s marquee forward, missed two early chances, first dragging a shot wide and then being denied one-on-one by Gerónimo Rulli.
Teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono also rattled the post as Madrid pressed aggressively from the outset.
Marseille, however, stunned the Bernabéu in the 22nd minute when Timothy Weah calmly slotted home a first-time finish to give the visitors a shock lead.
Moments later, Weah almost doubled his tally, only to be thwarted by a brilliant Thibaut Courtois save.
Madrid responded swiftly. Geoffrey Kondogbia’s clumsy challenge in the box gifted the hosts a penalty, and Mbappé made no mistake from the spot in the 29th minute, restoring parity with a clinical strike to the left corner.
The game remained open, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mastantuono both missing golden chances before half-time.
Mbappé struck the crossbar after the restart, while Aubameyang again went close as Marseille refused to sit back.
Drama escalated in the 72nd minute when VAR intervened to review Daniel Carvajal’s foul. Referee Irfan Peljto brandished a red card, leaving Madrid to battle with ten men.
Yet Los Blancos showed their resilience. A Facundo Medina handball in the box gave Madrid a lifeline in the 80th minute, and once again Mbappé stepped up, dispatching his second penalty with trademark composure to put Madrid 2-1 ahead.
Courtois then ensured victory with a stunning late save to deny Mason Greenwood as the Bernabéu erupted at full-time.