Kylian Mbappe came tantalizingly close to Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring record for Real Madrid in the calendar year with a brace as they secured a 3-2 win at third-tier Talavera de la Reina on Wednesday to reach the last 16 of the Copa del Rey after a pulsating encounter.
The French forward’s two goals, combined with an own goal from defender Manuel Farrando, proved enough despite strikes from Nahuel Arroyo and Gonzalo Di Renzo threatening to spoil Real’s evening in front of a raucous crowd.
Mbappe, who came into the game in 2025 with 56 goals in all competitions, is now one goal away from the calendar year record of 59 goals set by Ronaldo in 2013.
With one match left to play this year – against struggling Sevilla in LaLiga at the Santiago Bernabeu – the French forward could surpass the Portuguese great.
In front of 4,000 passionate supporters in Castilla-La Mancha, Real Madrid dominated the early stages, with young talents Endrick, Arda Guler and Gonzalo Garcia working well with Mbappé.
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However, they were repeatedly thwarted by Talavera’s inspired goalkeeper Jaime Gonzalez.
While coach Xabi Alonso rested first-choice stars including Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois, Madrid looked to Mbappe for inspiration.
Fran Garcia’s header was denied in the 39th minute by a brilliant goal-line clearance from Alvaro Lopez, but controversy ensued seconds later.
Referee Guillermo Cuadra penalized the host’s Marcos Moreno for handball after what appeared to be contact created by Madrid’s Alvaro Carreras during a fight in the penalty area.
With no VAR until the last 16 of the Copa del Rey, the decision stood, and Mbappe converted the penalty in the 41st minute to get closer to Ronaldo’s tally.
Before half-time, Mbappé helped Real find the net again – this time with a piece of fortune. His close-range effort ended up in Talavera’s goal via defender Farrando, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Madrid squandered several chances to extend their lead in the second half, with Mbappe missing a clear one-on-one chance in the 52nd minute before Gonzalez stopped a fierce long-range drive.
Talavera punished Madrid for its profligacy in the 80th minute when Farrando engineered a quick counter-attack and delivered a perfect low cross to Arroyo, who fired a powerful strike past Andriy Lunin to make it 2-1.
The host sensed an upset, but it was later canceled out by a goalkeeping error. Mbappe’s tame shot from outside the penalty area in the 83rd minute was fumbled by Gonzalez, with the ball bouncing into the net and restoring Madrid’s two-goal lead.
A determined Talavera pulled one back in the 91st minute when Di Renzo was the first to react to a rebound after Isaiah Navarro’s strike hit the post.
Real keeper Andriy Lunin then preserved Madrid’s lead with an exceptional save in the dying moments, denying Navarro from close range as the underdogs pushed for a dramatic equalizer.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Antoine Griezmann inspired Atletico Madrid to a 3-2 victory over fourth-tier Atletico Baleares.
Griezmann opened the scoring in the 16th minute after neat interplay with Thiago Almada and Conor Gallagher. A few minutes later, Giacomo Raspadori doubled Atleti’s lead, heading in Nahuel Molina’s cross.
Baleares responded through Gerardo Bonet, but Griezmann’s second-half goal from Javi Galan’s ball restored the buffer before the hosts made a late push.
Jaume Tovar missed a penalty for Baleares before Mouhamadou Keita converted from the spot in the 90th minute to set up a nail-biting finale for the visitor.
Published on December 18, 2025
