Real Madrid Edges Marseille in Champions League Debut

MADRID, Spain — Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Olympique de Marseille in their Champions League debut on September 16, 2025. The match was marked by a series of controversial referee decisions and two penalty goals from Kylian Mbappé.

The French team initially took the lead with a goal from Timothy Weah in the 22nd minute. Weah capitalized on a mistake by Real Madrid’s Arda Güler, beating goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in a one-on-one situation.

Real Madrid responded quickly. In the 28th minute, Rodrygo was fouled by Geoffrey Kondogbia inside the box, resulting in a penalty. Mbappé stepped up and successfully converted, leveling the score at 1-1.

The second half saw rapid shifts in the game’s momentum. In the 54th minute, Mbappé was tackled by Leonardo Balerdi, leading the crowd to demand a penalty kick. However, referee Irfan Peljto declined to call a foul, stating it was a clean challenge.

Iturralde González, a referee analyst, agreed that the challenge could have warranted a penalty. He stated, “It is a clear penalty because Balerdi tackled with his foot while playing the ball, which also made contact with Mbappé’s foot.”

As the pressure mounted, a key turning point occurred in the 69th minute when Madrid’s Dani Carvajal received a red card for colliding with goalkeeper Gero Rulli. Peljto reviewed the incident using VAR before sending Carvajal off.

While down a man, Madrid was awarded another penalty after a handball by Medina in the 82nd minute, again converted by Mbappé to make it 2-1. Iturralde mentioned, “Given the current interpretations of handball, this is a penalizable incident.”

The match concluded with Real Madrid holding on to their lead despite increased pressure from Marseille, who sought an equalizer but ultimately failed to convert. The victory secured three crucial points for Madrid in their Champions League campaign, kicking off their tournament with a gritty performance.