Buts: De Ketelaere (45e+2 SP) et Lookman (65e) for the Dea // Mbappé (10e), Vinícius (56e) and Bellingham (59e) for the Merengues
Don't count on Real Madrid to scare themselves.
Beaten in his last two European outings (against AC Milan and Liverpool), the reigning European champion restarted the machine in Italy, winning on the lawn of Atalanta (2-3), the leader of Serie A who had not suffered defeat for 14 matches in all competitions. The match was decided in three short minutes and two flashes from Madrid artists Vinícius Júnior, back from injury, and Jude Bellingham, while the two teams were back to back. The Brazilian took advantage of a ball ricocheting off Éderson to deceive Marco Carnesecchi from the left (1-2, 56e). The wrapping by the almost Golden Ball, and the ribbon adjusted by the English international, magnificently launched by Vinícius to have fun with Marten de Roon and slam a dry strike to widen the gap (1-3, 59e)reduced a few minutes later by Ademola Lookman who surprised Thibaut Courtois with a beautiful praline (2-3, 65e).
Mbappé clicks and snaps
And Kylian Mbappé in all this? The captain of the Blues started and showed that he had fire in his legs after his time on Mouloud Achour's couch. The Frenchman quickly took lead at the start of the game, falling on Carnesecchi for the first time, before opening the score after having achieved a very nice sequence of controlled control-clinical strike (0-1, 10e). Son 50e goal in the Champions League, and there would have been 51e without the Bergamo goalkeeper, undoubtedly relieved to see his first tormentor leave with an injury from the 35e minute of play. Real Madrid was able to count on its other stars, fortunately, even if Charles De Ketelaere did not tremble when resetting the counters to zero before the break, by converting a penalty caused by Aurélien Tchouaméni, guilty of 'a foul on Sead Kolašinac (1-1, 45e+2).
Atalanta still wanted to confirm that it had not won the little sister of the big-eared cup for nothing last season. Gian Piero Gasperini's band pushed to maintain their invincibility and snatch a point in the last half hour, even if we had to thank Carnesecchi for not breaking a fourth time, this time against Rodrygo. The Bergamasques were also able to rely on Lazar Samardžić, who gave a little work to Courtois, also impeccable on a firecracker from Mateo Retegui, the Italian international even allowing himself to miss a golden equalizing ball at the end of the additional time. Atalanta slips from the top 8 (9e11 points) and sees Real Madrid move closer to inevitable qualification (18e9 points).
Not sure that it's enough to bring down the Brest B team at the end of January at Le Blé.
Atalanta Real prediction: Analysis, odds and prediction of the Champions League match
