Mbappe blasts Real Madrid after Champions League loss at Benfica

French forward Kylian Mbappe questions team’s desire after damaging defeat sends Real Madrid into playoffs.Published On 29 Jan 2026Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has said his team “deserve” to be in their current situation because they were not consistent enough for a top-eight spot as his side slipped into the Champions League playoff round.The record 15-time European champions fell to a 4-2 defeat at Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Wednesday, finishing ninth in the league phase table, meaning they must face their Portuguese conquerors or Bodo/Glimt in February instead of reaching the last 16 directly.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Boxing: Fury to return to the ring against Makhmudov in Aprillist 2 of 4Why is Pakistan backing Bangladesh in its T20 World Cup row with India?list 3 of 4Milan mayor blasts ICE as ‘militia that kills’ before Winter Olympics rolelist 4 of 4‘I didn’t set out to break records’: Pakistan’s first female MMA fighterend of listAfter three wins in their previous three matches under new coach Alvaro Arbeloa, Madrid were brought back down to earth by Benfica in Lisbon.“The problem is we aren’t consistent in our play, we have to fix that, you can’t have one day [playing well] and another not, a champion team does not do that,” Mbappe told reporters.“We deserve to be in this situation today. Benfica were better. Now we have to play two more playoff games. It hurts to have to play those. We wanted to have the time in February to work on our game.”Mbappe said he could not put his finger on a clear reason why Madrid played so poorly against Benfica.“I think it’s a bit of everything. I can’t tell you it’s just a matter of attitude, because if I only say that, you’ll think we came here without any desire,” said the French superstar, who scored twice in the defeat.“If I tell you it’s a football issue, you’ll think the team is bad. No, I think it’s a broader issue, and in the Champions League, every detail matters if you want to beat your opponent.