Sports
KYLIAN Mbappe scored his 50th Champions League goal while Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham were also on target as Real Madrid secured a much-needed win against Atalanta.
The Spanish giants have struggled in Europe this year, having lost three of their five games before Tuesday’s match in Italy.
Consequently they needed a victory to improve their chances of progressing to the knockout stage, which they got that with this confidence-boosting display.
France international Mbappe got the ball rolling with a goal in the 10th minute, breaking clear of his marker before finishing smartly.
It was his 12th goal since joining Real in the summer and he should have had a second later in the first half when he charged through the middle, but his shot from outside the box was saved.
However, the away side were dealt a blow nine minutes before half time when Mbappe appeared to suffer an injury and, although he was able to walk off the pitch, he was replaced by Rodrygo.
Atalanta then equalised on the stroke of half time when Charles De Ketelaere scored a penalty after Sead Kolasinac went down inside the box.
Real battled back after the break as Vinicius Jr found the bottom corner with a neat finish on his return from a hamstring injury before Bellingham fired home for his first goal in the Champions League this season.
Ademola Lookman gave Atalanta hope with his 11th goal of the season, whipping a shot in at the near post, but Real held off late pressure to take three crucial points.
The win moved Real up to 18th in the 36-team league and three points off the top eight, who qualify automatically for the knockout stage.
Atalanta, meanwhile, are ninth on 11 points.
Important win for Real, but concern over Mbappe
Mbappe has struggled to hit the heights he reached at Paris St-Germain since joining Real in the summer, but he looked up for this game from the outset.
The forward’s clever runs in behind were stretching and panicking the Atalanta defence, and his goal served as a reminder of the incredible talent he possesses.
He has scored 50 goals in 79 appearances in the Champions League, becoming the second-youngest player (25 years and 356 days) to reach this figure in the competition after Lionel Messi in 2012 (24 years and 284 days).
His performance made the injury he suffered all the more concerning, although Real fans will be encouraged he was able to go off unaided.
They will be hoping he will not be added to an injury list that already features Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Eduardo Camavinga.
“Mbappe has some discomfort in his hamstrings. It doesn’t seem serious but we’ll see [on Wednesday],” said Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.
“He couldn’t sprint, it hurt him a bit and we thought it best to replace him.” –bbcsport
A.I
Dec. 11, 2024
Tags: Jude Bellingham Mbappe Vinicius Jr
