'Fantastic failure' Mbappe torn into by Spanish media after UCL disasterclass

Carlo Ancelotti's tactics raised eyebrows in the Spanish press while his front four were blasted for their woeful display against Arsenal during Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final elimination

Kylian Mbappe and his Real Madrid team-mates have been dubbed a “fantastic failure” by Spanish media after their Champions League demolition by Arsenal. Having been thoroughly outplayed in the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium and lost 3-0, the reigning European champions spent the past week threatening a comeback of epic proportions at their iconic Bernabeu Stadium.

It was always an unlikely task given just how much better the Gunners looked in their initial clash, but few could have predicted how calamitous Los Blancos would be again at their own ground.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost 2-1 on the night to make it 5-1 on aggregate, thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. And they were lucky the margin wasn’t even greater as Saka fluffed his penalty and William Saliba gifted Vinicius Junior their only goal of the tie.

Mikel Arteta's team were brilliant aside from those errors, limiting Real to three shots on target despite having just 33% possession. It was emblematic of the struggles the Spanish giants have faced all season in failing to gel their front four – Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius and Mbappe – together effectively.

And after exiting their trademarked competition with a whimper, the 15-time winners were torn into by the Spanish press. Outlet Diario AS used the words "it was just a dream" and “fantastic failure" to describe the elimination, while stating Ancelotti’s men were "ridiculed by Arsenal".

It went on to ironically mention Madrid’s "Fantastic Four", highlighting the impotence of their four attackers after managing just six shots on target against David Raya across both ties, noting that it was a marginally greater number than the shots on goal by double free-kick scoring Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.

"This Madrid is not made for miracles," lamented Marca, which highlighted on its website the collective failure. "Real Madrid fell in the Champions League due to their lack of football, as it was predicted throughout the season. They seemed powerless." In a bold statement about what’s next for Los Blancos, it added: “The end of the cycle is evident."

Sport newspaper focused its attention on Mbappe by publishing a photo of the Frenchman, who was taken off injured in the 75th minute, on its front page with the headline: “No Champions and no Mbappe." It singled him out for having tried his utmost, however, albeit in vain.

Mundo Deportivo also sympathised with Mbappe’s efforts. "Real Madrid has spent the whole season without football, without coherent play, resisting with individuality, without having managed to integrate Kylian (Mbappe) into a team that seems to have tried to reaffirm that it did not need him. He's an excellent player, but that was not enough," it claimed, adding that: "Ancelotti is deeply affected by this elimination."

The outlet also mentioned how Acelotti had asked his players to play "with head, heart and balls," quoting former boss Carlos Alcaraz. "Madrid played with two of those. It lacked head, there was too much heart, and the third was obvious," wrote MD.

Similarly directing its anger at Ancelotti’s tactics, El Pais wrote: "There was no game because the play wasn't fluid. There was no plan, the plan was chaos. Nothing came of that chaos. On the night when the mother of all comebacks was expected, the most decisive player was Courtois."

There was not much disgruntlement in the Spanish press over referee François Letexier's decision to give Arsenal a penalty and deny Mbappe’s own appeal, preferring to turn the page as quickly as possible. Arsenal too will now look ahead to their blockbuster semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain at home on April 29.