Kylian Mbappe scored two penalties as Madrid claimed an important win
However, the hosts lost Dani Carvajal to a red card for a headbutt
Earlier Timothy Weah had opened the scoring on his UCL debut for Marseille
Kylian Mbappe scored twice from the penalty spot to help Xabi Alonso mark his first Champions League game as Real Madrid boss with a 2-1 win over Marseille.
It was far from easy going for Madrid on Tuesday, with Los Blancos having to play through the latter stages with 10 men at the Santiago Bernabeu following Dani Carvajal's dismissal for an attempted headbutt towards Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.
But in-form Mbappe delivered the goods as he continued his flying start to the season.
Timothy Weah opened the scoring on his Champions League debut for Marseille, with Madrid having lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to an apparent hamstring injury just five minutes in, while Franco Mastantuono had hit the post for the hosts.
A clumsy Geoffrey Kondogbia lunge on Rodrygo saw Madrid draw level in the 28th minute as Mbappe converted his penalty into the left-hand corner, despite Rulli diving the right way.
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Madrid passed up numerous chances either side of half-time, before Carvajal's inexplicable clash with Rulli forced referee Irfan Peljto to the VAR monitor and saw the Spain full-back dismissed.
But Alonso's reward arrived as Medina handled when sliding to tackle Vinicius Junior, and Mbappe squeezed his penalty through the right hand of Rulli to claim a deserved opening victory for the Spanish giants.
Data Debrief: Mbappe hits 50
Madrid were repeatedly frustrated in the first half, with their 11 shots on target their highest tally in the opening 45 minutes of a Champions League match since data collection began in 2003-04.
At the other end, Weah became the first player to score on his Champions League debut for Marseille since Gabriel Heinze, who netted against AC Milan in 2009.
Mbappe would not be outdone, though, as his spot-kick double took him to 50 goals for Los Blancos across all competitions in just 64 appearances. The former Paris Saint-Germain forward is the fastest player to reach a half-century of goals for Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo, who needed just 54 games to score 51 goals in November 2010.
Alonso will feel it was a deserved victory, too, with his side accumulating 3.65 expected goals to Marseille's 0.73 – Mbappe accounted for 2.2 of Madrid's xG himself.
Indeed, Madrid finished with 15 shots on target, which is their highest tally in a coach's Champions League debut since the 2003–04 season.
