Real Madrid suffered a heavy blow after falling 2-1 to Atlético de Madrid in a derby marked by tension and controversy. Despite the defeat, the Madrid dressing room is eager to turn the page as quickly as possible at the start of a season that offers no respite.

Kylian Mbappé spoke to AS after the match to assess what happened on the pitch. The French forward admitted that the setback in the derby was “a step backward,” although he made it clear that the squad gave everything out on the field. “We wanted to win, we knew what kind of match we were going to have. But the team gave everything, and we move forward because there is still a long way to go this season and we have to stay on the right path.”

As for the refereeing decisions that inflamed tempers, Mbappé preferred to remain cautious. “I have my thoughts, but I keep them to myself. I’ve never been that kind of player and I’m not going to start now. The referee is human, he makes mistakes—which were mistakes—but I don’t want to get into that.” According to the Frenchman, his policy has always been to avoid using refereeing as an excuse and to stay focused on self-criticism in order to improve.

To close, Mbappé called for “working and doing more” as the only way to restore the fans’ excitement. The Real Madrid striker insisted that there is still a long season ahead and that the team will fight so that “the titles return.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.