MADRID (AP) — There will be no Champions League title for Kylian Mbappé in his first season with Real Madrid.
After several failed attempts with Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé joined the record 15-time European Champion bidding to finally break through with the title. But he couldn't help Madrid complete its run for the trophy and was jeered by a section of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium crowd.
With Mbappé struggling before limpling off with an ankle injury, Madrid lost 2-1 to Arsenal on Wednesday and was eliminated 5-1 on aggregate after a 3-0 first-leg loss in London last week.
Arsenal will now face Mbappé's former club PSG, which advanced over Aston Villa on Tuesday and has been thriving this season.
Mbappé, who hasn’t scored in five games in all competitions, had no attempts on target on Wednesday.
He had to be replaced by Brahim Díaz in the 75th minute after twisting his right ankle, and most of the crowd jeered the France forward when his substitution was announced.
He was able to walk off the field by himself, but was limping a bit. The club did not immediately release details on the extent of the injury.
The injury comes 10 days before the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in Sevilla.
Mbappé was involved in a possible penalty in Madrid's favor in the 23rd, but a video review eventually overturned the referee's call that he was held by a defender inside the area.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Arsenal's good defense made it harder on Mbappé and his attacking teammate Vinícius Júnior.
“Sometimes you have to be self-critical and have a good look at everything. I feel we’re a team, but maybe we need to make more team moves and not so much individual ones, because if you double-mark Vini or Mbappé, you can get away with it once, but it’s difficult to do more than that," Courtois said.
It's the first time since 2020 that Madrid has failed to reach the last four of the Champions League.
It trails Barcelona by four points after 31 games in the Spanish league.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
