Gareth Bale 'disappointed' as Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe fail to deliver 'a bit of magic' in Liverpool defeat as Real Madrid attackers leave Thierry Henry baffled

Real Madrid faced their first defeat in the Champions League this season – and only their second defeat overall – after slipping to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday evening. A second half goal from Alexis Mac Allister from a Dominik Szoboszlai set piece was enough for the Reds to register only their third win in their last nine fixtures. 

It was a homecoming to forget for Madrid manager Xabi Alonso and club icon Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose late introduction was drowned out by a storm of boos and whistles from the stands. The Englishman could not make an impact upon his return to Merseyside, as Madrid had Thibaut Courtois to thank for an outrageous performance which kept the scoreline to just 1-0.

The focus ahead of the game was on the likes of Vinicius and Mbappe, the latter especially in ridiculous form having scored 18 goals in 14 games ahead of the game. However, the duo had little to no impact on the proceedings, thanks to Liverpool's brilliant structure out of possession coupled with their immense hunger and dedication.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Bale said: "I think it was that spark that [Thierry] Henry and I were talking about, that we didn't see Mbappe and Vinicius in the final third work a bit of magic and bring Madrid back into the game. It was a bit disappointing that in that final third there wasn't really that kind of quality that you expect from Real Madrid players." 

Bale also pointed out that Alonso's side lacked a physical presence inside the box. "It's frustrating, I think they overcomplicate things," said the five-time Champions League winner. "Sometimes they just need to try and test the defender. They are clearly faster than anyone else on the pitch. But I think maybe they don't do it because there's no one else in the box waiting for the crosses. Maybe they need that reference number nine." 

In the same segment, former Barcelona and Arsenal forward Henry also provided his thoughts and explained what Real Madrid and their attackers could have done better. "I don't understand it," he said. "You have to play with what's in front of you, you have to play the moment. And even if there's nobody in the box, as you said, at least the opposing team has dropped back 30 meters and then you can give the ball to your midfielder, who might have a shot from outside the box. But I don't know, sometimes people try to be clever when there's no need to be."

He specifically talked about Vinicius:  You have an opportunity at the beginning, for example, Vinicius had Conor Bradley for the first five or seven minutes, and then he let him breathe. Why do you let him breathe? Keep trying until he gets a yellow card and then he can't defend the same way, but it didn't happen that way.

"Vinicius received the ball one-on-one after a good battle in the first five minutes against Conor Bradley, and he passed it back to his left-back to receive it again... and now it was a one-on-three. Then he attacked alone against the three, and I thought, wait, do the math. You had a one-on-one, try to see what you can do with that. Why do you move the ball back so it comes back to you and you can play a one-on-three? I just don't understand it sometimes."

Los Blancos will take on neighbours Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas this weekend, which is the final game before the upcoming international break. Alonso's troops currently hold a five-point lead at the top of La Liga and will hope to brush aside the Liverpool loss by getting maximum points on Sunday. Post the break, they will face surprise package Elche on November 23.