Real Madrid secured a 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo on Thursday evening, returning to winning ways thanks to goals from Gonzalo García and Jude Bellingham.
A hostile reception from the sea of white shirts at the Bernabéu greeted Los Blancos after their poor Clásico defeat last time out. With nothing to play for other than pride, Álvaro Arbeloa's men got to work against the team at the bottom of the La Liga standings.
Gonzalo found the breakthrough in the 44th minute, changing the mood inside the stadium on the brink of halftime. Bellingham then added his name to the scoresheet in the 80th minute, bagging his first goal since Jan. 20.
Real Madrid's win lacked splendor but was void of any embarrassment or controversy—a rarity in the Spanish capital these days.
Kylian Mbappé Returned to Action
Mbappé made his first appearance since April 24 and was greeted by a chorus of boos and whistles every time he got near the ball. The Frenchman had a wry smile on his face the entire time, but the crowd's displeasure was impossible to ignore.
Vinicius Jr was whistled in the early stages of the match as well, but not nearly to the level of abuse Mbappé received. The reaction comes as no surprise, given that over 52 million people signed a petition calling for his Real Madrid exit.
Despite his whimpering end to the season, marred by injury and a locker room civil war, Mbappé still leads the Pichichi race with 24 goals in 28 league appearances. He would have loved to add to his total on Thursday to both give himself more of a cushion against Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi and silence the crowd, but he came up empty.
Mbappé stepped up to a free kick from 30 yards out and hit the wall. He also failed to finish off a prime chance when he was through on goal—a chance that would have been waved off anyway because he once again failed to stay onside. His other two decent looks did not even hit the target.
The France international bagged the assist on Bellingham's goal, though, a silver lining to an otherwise underwhelming cameo that will have done his cause with Madridistas no favors.
Player Ratings vs. Real Oviedo (4-4-2)
Ratings Provided by FotMob
GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.9: Had to be a little more active than he thought against the last-place team in the league, but no heroics were needed.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—7.3: One of the few players making daring runs forward and playing inventive passes that his teammates failed to finish off. Came close to bagging his first goal in a white shirt, but the wait continues.
CB: Raúl Asencio—7.3: Showed his defensive prowess on several occasions that earned some well-deserved applause from the crowd. Used his physicality as a weapon.
CB: David Alaba—7.1: Far past his prime, but did his job in what is likely one of his final appearances for Real Madrid.
LB: Álvaro Carreras—6.9: Won the ball back that led to Gonzalo's opener. Will earn some respect back for his tenacious press, but fell asleep in defense that should have led to Real Oviedo's equalizer.
RM: Franco Mastantuono—7.8: A few half-chances were the highlight of his rare start. Active when he had the ball and showed off his dribbling, but without any reward.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga—7.6: Much of his defensive skillset was not needed against Real Oviedo, but he still helped his fellow countryman boss the midfield in the wake of his World Cup snub.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—7.3: Missed a glorious chance in the 40th minute that had him looking up at the sky for answers. Easily commanded the middle of the park.
ST: Gonzalo García—8.2: Bagged his first goal since Feb. 14 in a red-hot display that finally ended his scoring drought.