MADRID: Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a much-needed 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Levante on Saturday, courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Raul Asencio, after being met with boos from a restless Bernabeu crowd before the breakthrough arrived.

The win snapped Real’s two-match losing run and offered brief respite after a bruising week. They looked flat in the first half, still carrying the scars of Sunday’s 3-2 Spanish Super Cup final defeat to rivals Barcelona, followed by the departure of manager Xabi Alonso the next day and a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey exit to second-division Albacete on Wednesday.

Boos greeted the players at kick-off, with sections of the crowd also directing chants at club president Florentino Perez. Star players Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham came in for ire from the home fans after a disastrous week.

Real finally eased the tension when Adrian de la Fuente tripped Mbappe in the box, and the French forward, was spared the jeers, converted the penalty in the 58th minute to extend his league-leading tally to 19 goals.

Mbappe, who appeared in pain in the warm up after a collision with team-mate Dean Huijsen, had been expected to return for the Champions League game against Monaco next week as he manages his recovery from a knee sprain.

Seven minutes later, Real doubled their advantage through centre-back Asencio, who rose to meet Arda Guler’s corner with a powerful header to make it 2-0 in the 65th minute, giving new coach Alvaro Arbeloa a crucial cushion and settling the mood inside the stadium.

“Today was a very important day, playing in front of our fans, we wanted to turn around the situation,” Asencio told Real Madrid TV. “What happened at Albacete should not have happened, we felt guilty and we wanted to make things better. The team gave a good account of themselves, above all in the second half. He [Arbeloa] asks us to enjoy ourselves -- to be protagonists, to dominate, to focus on ourselves and not on the opposition. Little by little, we’ll get there.”

The win keeps Real second in La Liga on 48 points from 20 matches, one behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand and visit Real Sociedad on Sunday. Levante are 19th with 14 points.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2026