The crucial games Kylian Mbappe will miss after red card for Real Madrid horror challenge

Kylian Mbappe was deservedly shown a straight red card after producing one of the worst challenges of the season in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Alaves in La Liga.

Eduardo Camavinga went some way to redeeming himself by scoring the only goal of the game at Alaves’ Mendizorrotza Stadium, just days after he was given his marching orders in the Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final first leg loss to Arsenal.

But only four minutes after Camavinga’s stunning first-half effort, Mbappe was shown a red card of his own for a truly horrendous foul on Antonio Blanco, which left the Alaves midfielder writhing around on the turf.

Replays showed Mbappe miss the ball by some distance with his right boot before careering into Blanco’s standing leg with his studs up. After a VAR check, referee Cesar Soto was left with little option but to send the Frenchman for an early bath.

It was an uncharacteristic moment of madness from Mbappe, who had only been shown three red cards in his entire professional career prior to this weekend’s contest.

Clips of the tackle spread like wildfire across social media and drew quite the reaction from fans, with TV personality Piers Morgan, a lifelong Arsenal supporter, among those to condemn the forward’s recklessness.

‘Disgusting “tackle” by Mbappe. Vicious intent and could have broken the guy’s leg. Red card should be the very least of his punishment,’ Morgan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Which games will Kylian Mbappe miss through suspension?

Morgan – and every Arsenal fan on the planet – will have hoped for Mbappe to be banned for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Madrid on Tuesday evening.

But the suspension will only apply to Madrid’s domestic competitions, meaning the 26-year-old attacker is still eligible to face Arsenal at the Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti will, though, be without Camavinga after the midfielder was sent for a a second bookable offence against Arsenal after petulantly kicking the ball away in the 3-0 defeat at the Emirates.

In La Liga, a red card typically results in a two-match ban, which rules Mbappe out of the Spanish champions’ upcoming top-flight games with Athletic Bilbao and Getafe.

However, if the offence is deemed a serious violation, the suspension could be longer. This could see Mbappe miss Madrid’s Copa del Rey final clash with arch-rivals Barcelona on April 26.

All three of Mbappe’s previous red cards came during his time with Paris Saint-Germain – once while playing in Ligue 1 and twice in the club’s cup competitions.

‘It was a clear red,’ Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo, told reporters at his post-match press conference.

‘He apologised, he’s not a violent guy. He understands what he did.

‘All the fouls he received made him react inthat way.’

Madrid’s hard-fought win over Alaves saw them reduce Barcelona’s lead at the top to four points again, with only seven games remaining of the La Liga campaign.

Earlier in the weekend, Hansi Flick’s Barca edged to a 1-0 victory away to struggling Leganes, where Jorge Saenz’s second-half own goal proved decisive.

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