Mbappe strikes after China controversy as Real Madrid beat Santander
Kylian Mbappe rebounded from a turbulent week with a penalty goal, contributing to Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Racing Santander. The French forward narrowly missed out on the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane from Bayern Munich earlier in the week and had to apologize after a social media controversy involving a joke about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
Spanish matches, including this one, were not televised by Chinese state television due to the backlash. Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande also found the back of the net, with Diomande scoring a spectacular volley. The three goals all occurred in the first half, keeping Real Madrid within three points of league leaders Barcelona.
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