BILBAO
\nKylian Mbappe said he will take full responsibility for a \u201cbig mistake\u201d after the striker missed another penalty in champions Real Madr\u00adid\u2019s 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Wednesday.
\nA week after the French superstar failed from the spot in the Champions League against Liverpool, he endured further misery from 12 yards as Los Blancos allowed leaders Barcelona to retain their four-point advantage.
\nBarca who top the standings on 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real who have a game in hand. Bilbao are fourth on 29 points.
\nAlejandro Berenguer fired Bilbao ahead early in the second half, with Jude Bellingham levelling for Real after Mbappe\u2019s penalty miss.
\nHowever, substitute Gorka Guruzeta snatched fourth-pla\u00adce Athletic victory in the 80th minute after a Fede Valverde error.
\nThe defeat and Mbappe\u2019s penalty miss will heap further pressure on to the former Paris Saint-Germain striker\u2019s shoulders after plenty of criticism in recent weeks.
\n\u201cA big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility for it,\u201d said Mbappe in a post on social media network Instagram. \u201cA difficult moment but it\u2019s the best time to change this situation and show who I am.\u201d
\nMbappe arrived with sky-high expectations to boost a stellar Real squad who won last season\u2019s LaLiga and Champ\u00adions League titles, but so he has been a shadow of his old self, looking tentative and out of sync from the rest of the team.
\nHe has scored 10 goals in Real\u2019s 21 games, only seven from open play.
\n\u201cHe is at a lot more than just 1% (of his potential), but he\u2019s not at his best,\u201d Real coach Carlo Ancelotti told a press conference. \u201cHowever, we have to give him time to adapt [to Real Madrid]. He has scored 10 goals and is working hard to improve and to do better.
\n\u201cI haven\u2019t spoken to him yet. It was a complicated, even, hard-fought, competitive game. We missed a penalty… I don\u2019t evaluate a player\u2019s game because of a missed penalty… sometimes you score and sometimes you miss. Obviously he\u2019s sad, disappointed, but we have to keep going.\u201d
\nBilbao were the aggressors throughout the first half against a harried Real who were short of ideas when in possession and toothless up front, going to the break with no shots on target.
\nUnbeaten for almost two months, Bilbao finally managed to break the deadlock to take the lead thanks to a close-range effort by Berenguer in the 53rd minute but Mbappe had a great chance to level from the spot after defender Antonio Ruediger was fouled 15 minutes later.
\nHowever, the French forward, who missed a spot-kick in the Champions League loss at Liverpool last week, stroked another weak shot that made it easy for Julen Agirrezabala to palm the effort away.
\nMbappe was a non=factor until he fired an angled strike from the edge of the box late in the second half that Athletic goalkeeper Agirrezabala palmed straight to Bellingham who stroke home the rebound to equalize equalised in the 78th minute.
\nRodrygo wasted a golden opportunity to get Real the lead in the next play but Valverde gifted the ball to Guruzeta who struck the winner past a helpless Thibaut Courtois one minute later.<\/p>\n
GIRONA KNOCKED OUT
\nIn Copa del Rey second-rou\u00adnd action on Wednesday, last year\u2019s surprise package Girona were shocked by fourth-division side Logrones as they were knocked out 4-3 on penalties.
\nGirona were not the only La Liga side to also kiss goodbye early to the Spanish Cup as Villarreal were stunned by fourth-division\u2019s Pontevedra 1-0 thanks to a last-gasp goal by Dalisson de Almeida.
\nValladolid needed to go to extra-time to beat Real Avila 4-2 and advance, while Leganes beat fourth-division Estepona 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
\nValencia, Betis, Celta Vigo, Las Palmas and Rayo Vallecano all advanced with easy wins.
\nReal and Barca will debut in the next round.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BILBAO Kylian Mbappe said he will take full responsibility for a \u201cbig mistake\u201d after the striker missed another penalty in champions Real Madr\u00adid\u2019s 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Wednesday. A week after the French superstar failed from the spot in the Champions League against Liverpool, he endured further misery from 12 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-447861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n