MADRID, Spain — This time, the cheers drowned out the whistles.
real Madrid Won back the crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night 6-1 defeat Of AS Monaco In uefa champions league. The victory healed the wounds caused by a painful start to 2026, in which the team suffered defeats in two cup competitions and lost Xabi Alonso, the man expected to lead their new era.
As of three days ago, Madrid hosted levante In LaLigaThere were deafening whistles for the home team – and especially, Vinicius Junior –as fans loudly expressed their disapproval over the team’s direction of travel.
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It was the only topic of conversation before the game. Will the Champions League, Madrid’s favorite competition, be any different?
“If they whistle, they should whistle the whole team,” Kylian Mbappe said on Monday. “Don’t single out any one player…it’s the team’s fault.”
“I respect the opinion at the Bernabeu,” said Alonso’s replacement Álvaro Arbeloa. “I know the Bernabeu crowd. We have to turn those whistles into applause.”
“The fans pay their money, work all week, save up to come to Real Madrid games to support us, they are entitled to say what they want,” he said. Jude Bellingham. “I don’t think it’s always very helpful to teams or individuals, now speaking from experience, I know it’s not the best thing in the world, but they’re entitled to their opinion.”
However, in the minutes before kick-off on Tuesday, there was an awkward silence. When the match started – unlike Saturday – there were no whistles for Vinicius’ every touch, or for Bellingham. It seemed as if the Bernabeu crowd had lost the appetite to follow the team, but were still not ready to cheer in full support. Players have to earn it on the field.
Five minutes into the game, Mbappe did the same. It was a flowing team move, made all the more fascinating given how rare this kind of effortless, collective play has been from an often task-driven Madrid side this season.
franco mastantuno – Who looks revived under Arbeloa, having lost his way under Alonso – Played a pass inside federico valverdeWho later found Mbappé in space. The finish took Mbappe into double figures in the Champions League this season.
After that, it was all about Vinicius. For them, Madrid’s players have been under the most pressure in recent months, with Madrid’s players in the spotlight – partly because of their contract renewal impasse, and partly because of their record of one goal in 19 games – a positive team performance will not be enough to quell criticism. Vinicius will need to shine individually.
Scoring one goal and scoring three more goals did the trick. It was an individual performance that kept getting better. As Vinicius grew in confidence, the memory of the whistles faded and some of the old magic returned.
It was a reminder that, even when on form, there are few players who come close to Vinicius’ ability to start the team in the final third. at 26 minutes, Arda Guler Vinicius played in behind the defense on the left, and the Brazilian crossed for Mbappé to contribute his second of the game.
His contribution was already so convincing that, when an unnecessary move did not appear before half-time, a handful of scattered whistles were immediately replaced by loud, enthusiastic cheers. This was a hint of what was going to happen in the second part. Shortly after halftime, Vinicius, almost scoring an own goal, shrugged off a challenge from a defender and fired past Mastantuono to make it 3–0.
Now there were some cautious chants of “Vinicius Junior” from the singing section behind one of the Bernabeu goals – not picked up by the rest of the stadium. Four minutes later, another cross from Vinicius turned into the net Thilo Kehrer. It was now a hat-trick of goals scored for the forwards, but there was one thing missing: an own goal.
It came on 63 minutes, and it was a special, individual goal that Vinicius desperately needed. In Spanish Supercopa Earlier this month he delivered a goal of a similar caliber, but that came in the context of one far away from home, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. defeat To barcelona.
It was his first goal at the Bernabéu in more than three months. After celebrating with his teammates, there was another, powerfully symbolic moment, when Vinicius ran to embrace Arbeloa.
Vinícius’s broken relationship with Alonso was a significant factor in the former coach’s departure and the player’s poor form, which took away his status as a pariah member of the team. Arbeloa has made them feel special again.
“[Vinícius] “I have been writing my history at Real Madrid for years,” Arbeloa said on Monday.
“He has given us two Champions Leagues, magical nights. I think he needs the Bernabeu to bring out his best.”
A day later, the new coach was proven right. After Monaco pulled a goal back, there was still time for Bellingham, one of the most scrutinized players in recent times, to also complete the rout with a goal.
This completed the night. All three of Madrid’s biggest stars – Mbappé, Vinicius and Bellingham – performed well. Some context is necessary. Monaco is in ninth place league 1And have lost seven of their last eight league games.
This performance and result should not be taken as confirmation that Arbeloa’s Madrid are ready to compete with the best in Europe. But Madrid didn’t need that on Tuesday; They just needed to get the Bernabeu back on their side. And they did so, in some style.
