Real Madrid got a much-needed 3-2 Champions League win at Atalanta on Tuesday thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham as the holders snapped a two-game loosing run in the competition.
Madrid handed the Serie A leaders their first defeat in this season’s revamped Champions League after Mbappé gave them the lead with a strike from inside the box in the 10th minute before he was forced off with an injury.
Charles de Ketelaere equalised with a penalty after Aurelien Tchouameni tripped Sead Kolasinac from behind just before the break but Vinicius Junior stroked home a rebound in the 56th minute to put the visitors back in front.
Bellingham extended their lead after a counter attack three minutes later but Ademola Lookman reduced the deficit in the 65th before Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois worked his magic with a string of saves to secure a hard-fought win.
With two games left, Madrid are 18th in the 36-team table on nine points, three points off the top eight spots which secure direct qualification to the last 16. Atalanta are ninth on 11 points.
“It was a great game and we’re happy that it was Real Madrid who took it,” Brahim Diaz, who set up Mbappe for the opener, told Movistar Plus.
“We came here with confidence and for the players these games are to show that we are made to play for a club like Real Madrid. This team has a lot to give still and we’re going to give much more.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time. We can finish with 15 points if we win the last two games and than see what happens. Things are going the way they have to go and that’s promising.”
Off the back of a fabulous campaign in which they won record-extending titles in LaLiga and the Champions League, Madrid have struggled in their European title defence.
They lost three of their previous four continental matches before heading to Italy to face red-hot Atalanta, who were unbeaten in the competition having conceded only one goal.
Mbappé, who has been under scrutiny for an inconsistent start at Madrid, began the game well and forced Marco Carnesecchi into a couple of fine early saves but there was nothing the keeper could do to stop the France captain giving Real the lead.
He scored with a low strike from inside the box after superbly controlling a pass by Diaz with one touch to move the ball past a defender and put himself in the box where he netted.
It was all going so well for the visitors until Mbappé was forced off in the 35th minute with what looked like a muscle injury to be replaced by Rodrygo.
After Antonio Rüdiger missed a close-range sitter in the 39th, De Ketelaere fired a rocket into the top corner to equalise but, just as Atalanta were growing in confidence after the break they gifted Vinícius a rebound he did not miss.
Bellingham scored to make it 3-1 minutes later but after Lookman slotted home a low strike from the edge of the box Courtois made critical saves to deny Raoul Bellanova, Mateo Retegui, Matteo Ruggeri and Lazar Samardzic to secure the win.
