Kylian Mbappe inched to the brink of Cristiano Ronaldo’s most prolific calendar-year scoring mark at Real Madrid, scoring twice as the Spanish giants narrowly avoided a Copa del Rey upset with a dramatic 3-2 win at third-tier Talavera de la Reina on Wednesday to reach the last 16.
Mbappe’s brace – supplemented by a first-half own goal from defender Manuel Farrando – proved decisive on a breathless night in Castilla-La Mancha, where Talavera twice threatened to pull off one of the competition’s great shocks and exposed Madrid’s vulnerability in a tie that never followed the expected script.
The French forward has now struck 58 goals in all competitions in 2025, moving within one of the club’s calendar-year record of 59 set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013.
The benchmark for the modern game, however, remains untouchable: Lionel Messi’s staggering 91 goals in the 2012 calendar year.
With Madrid facing Sevilla on Saturday in what is expected to be their final match of the year, Mbappe has one clear opportunity to draw level with – or eclipse – the benchmark.
Xabi Alonso rotated heavily, resting key figures including Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois and placing responsibility on Mbappe to guide a youthful lineup featuring Endrick, Arda Güler and Gonzalo Garcia.
Madrid controlled possession from the outset but found Talavera compact, aggressive and unafraid to press high.
Talavera goalkeeper Jaime Gonzalez emerged as a central figure early, denying Endrick at close range and smothering efforts from Mbappe as the hosts fed off the energy of a raucous crowd packed into Estadio Municipal El Prado.
Madrid finally broke through in the 41st minute amid controversy.
Referee Guillermo Cuadra awarded a penalty after judging Marcos Moreno to have handled the ball during a tussle with Alvaro Carreras.
With no VAR available until the last-16 stage, the decision stood and Mbappe dispatched the spot kick with authority to open the scoring.
Seconds before halftime, Madrid doubled their lead in fortuitous fashion.
Mbappe’s low drive from inside the area ricocheted off Farrando and into the net, leaving Talavera stunned but far from beaten.
The second half followed a familiar Copa del Rey pattern: Madrid dominance without decisiveness.
Mbappe squandered a clear one-on-one in the 52nd minute, while Gonzalez continued to frustrate the visitors with sharp reflex saves that kept belief alive among the underdogs.
That belief materialized in the 80th minute.
Farrando redeemed himself by launching a swift counterattack and delivering a precise low cross to Nahuel Arroyo, who smashed his finish past Andriy Lunin to reduce the deficit and ignite hopes of a historic comeback.
Madrid steadied themselves through Mbappe once more. In the 83rd minute, the forward struck from distance and Gonzalez – otherwise excellent – spilled the routine effort into his own net, restoring a two-goal cushion and giving Mbappe his second of the night.
Even then, Talavera refused to relent. Gonzalo Di Renzo reacted quickest in the 91st minute after Isaiah Navarro’s effort struck the post, cutting the margin again and setting up a frantic finale in which Madrid clung on.
Lunin produced a decisive intervention in stoppage time, denying Navarro from point-blank range to finally extinguish Talavera’s resistance and ensure Madrid’s progression.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, defending champions Barcelona advanced with less turmoil in Guadalajara, while Antoine Griezmann struck twice as Atletico Madrid edged fourth-tier Atletico Baleares 3-2.
Griezmann opened the scoring early, added a second after the break and watched Atletico survive late tension after Jaume Tovar missed a penalty before Mouhamadou Keita converted in the 90th minute.