"Worst signing in Madrid history", "Practically a ghost" - Fans slam Real Madrid star after 5-1 agg. loss to Arsenal in UCL

Kylian Mbappe has drawn the ire of fans for his performance in the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal against Arsenal on Wednesday (April 16). Los Blancos fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu, leading to a 5-1 defeat on aggregate after their 3-0 defeat at the Emirates last week.

Before kickoff in the Spanish capital, "La Remontada" was the talk of the town, as a number of Real Madrid players expressed confidence about overturning the deficit.

Real Madrid started the game on the front foot, but could have fallen behind in the 13th minute, as Arsenal were awarded a penalty after Raul Ascencio fouled Mikel Merino in the box. Thibaut Courtois saved Los Blancos' blushes by saving Bukayo Saka's chipped attempt from the spot.

Los Blancos were awarded a penalty after Declan Rice appeared to bring down Mbappe in the box, but the decision was overturned after a lengthy VAR review.

While Arsenal remained the second-best team in terms of possession, Real Madrid’s inability to register a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes meant the scoreline was level at the break.

The hosts started the second half with more determination, but Mikel Arteta’s men opened the scoring in the 65th minute. Bukayo Saka delivered the sucker punch by lifting the ball over Courtois after being released through on goal by Merino.

Real Madrid restored parity two minutes later through Vinicius Jr, who pounced on William Saliba's error in possession. With the result practically sealed, Gabriel Martinelli added salt to Los Blancos' wounds in the third minute of stoppage time following a typical Arsenal breakaway.

After the match, some fans were not happy with Kylian Mbappe’s overall performance. The Frenchman had a quiet outing in the first leg, and the return leg was no different. He had zero shots on target and lost possession 10 times during 75 minutes on the pitch.

Here are some of the fans' reactions:

"Worst signing in Madrid history,'' an X user wrote.

Another tweeted:

"Mbappe was practically a ghost against Arsenal!''

"Better than raphinha they said,'' @Coldbalde wrote.

"This guy is a fraud, Madrid should fr sell him,'' @NouCalma added.

"We showed intensity, but it wasn’t enough" – Carlo Ancelotti on Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti expressed disappointment at his side’s exit from the Champions League following their 2-1 loss to Arsenal at the Bernabeu. He said the Gunners were better than them across the two legs and opined that their disallowed penalty could have changed the tie.

Ancelotti told the media after in the post-match press conference (via Managing Madrid):

“It’s disappointing to be eliminated from the Champions League, it’s quite normal to think that. It’s the other side of football. We’ve been through the happy part many times, today it’s time for the other, and we have to deal with it. There are three more competitions, and we have to focus on them. We have to accept it; in both games, Arsenal have been better than us. We tried; there was a moment with that penalty they disallowed that could have changed the tie. But Arsenal defended very well; we couldn’t find any space. We showed intensity, but it wasn’t enough.”

Real Madrid will now turn their attention to LaLiga and the upcoming Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on Saturday, April 26.