Kylian Mbappe scored as Real Madrid defeated Racing Santander 3-0 in the Spanish La Liga on Sunday, returning to action after a week of controversy over his remarks about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
The French forward converted an 11th-minute penalty to give Madrid the lead at El Sardinero, despite protests from the home side over the referee’s decision.
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Jude Bellingham doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 21st minute, finishing off a pass from Arda Guler, before Yan Diomande sealed the victory with a strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 36th minute.
The victory came amid controversy over a video in which Mbappe joked about an internet meme comparing his influence at football clubs to that of a dictator, making an apparent reference to Mao.
The comments sparked criticism in China, prompting Mbappe, Real Madrid and La Liga to issue apologies.
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Chinese state broadcaster CCTV subsequently suspended broadcasts of Spanish league matches, including Sunday’s encounter, following the backlash.
Despite the controversy, Mbappe maintained his scoring form, taking his league tally to 12 goals this season.
Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said his team had performed strongly in the first half and could have scored more goals.
Racing Santander also had a penalty awarded in the second half after Aurelien Tchouameni handled the ball in the area, but the decision was overturned following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
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The result extended Madrid’s winning run to six matches across all competitions and kept them third in the league standings, three points behind leaders Barcelona.
FRCN