MADRID-. Kylian Mbappé-era Real Madrid continued to raise doubts after being held to a 1-1 draw in their visit to Las Palmas on Thursday, continuing their poor performances in these first few rounds of the Spanish League.
Alberto Moleiro put the hosts ahead with an early goal after five minutes, in which he showed quality by cutting in with his right foot past Eder Militao to finish with a left-footed shot low inside the post.
Vinícius Júnior equalised with a penalty kick at mid-height in the 69th minute, after the referee signalled a handball by Álex Suárez following a shot by Arda Güler.
In the final stretch, a goal by Víctor Álvarez Rozada was disallowed for the hosts, after a shot inside the area hit the top corner, due to Jaime Mata being offside.
The current Spanish champions, the merengue team, have extended their irregular start to the season, in which they have already dropped four points to sit on five in fifth place, behind leaders Barcelona, who are on a perfect run with nine points after beating Rayo 2-1 on Tuesday.
Las Palmas remained in 16th place with a pair of points after achieving their second draw.
“I need to be clearer about the strategy I have to implement on the pitch, to give the players more clarity. It is costing us more than we thought,” said Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. “We need to find a solution quickly. The first half in particular was bad.”
After suffering a disappointing first half for the third time in their history following those against Mallorca and Valladolid, the Whites once again raised the pace in search of a comeback after the break.
Las Palmas controlled the game after going ahead with a great finish from Moleiro. They had their star player before the break in goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, who made a couple of saves from the only shots on goal for the Merengues, a free kick from Uruguayan Federico Valverde and another long-range attempt from Antonio Rüdiger.
Mbappé once again went unnoticed in attack with attempts that did not create any danger for the opposition defence. The French star remains without goals in the Spanish championship after having scored one of the goals with which Real Madrid beat Atalanta 2-0 in the European Super Cup final.
Vini had the opportunity to score his first goal of the championship with a penalty, after not having a good performance in attack playing on the left wing.
Madrid will have to seek solace at home on Sunday, when they host Betis, in the match before the first of the league’s breaks due to FIFA dates.
