The French superstar scored the goal to make it 2-0 (0-0) in the UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo in the 68th minute.
Kylian Mbappe won his first title on Wednesday night in his competitive debut for Real Madrid and showcased his goal-scoring instinct. The French superstar scored the goal to make it 2-0 (0-0) in the UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo in the 68th minute. Earlier, Federico Valverde had put the Champions League winners in the lead in Warsaw (59th minute), playing without injured ÖFB legionnaire David Alaba.
With this sixth Super Cup title, Real Madrid became the sole record holder. Rivals Barcelona and AC Milan have each won the European Cup winners’ summit five times. Since Atletico Madrid’s triumph against Real in 2018, the Champions League winner has always prevailed.
Carlo Ancelotti had a plethora of options in attack. “A big problem,” joked the Real coach. Thinking about who plays ruined his vacation. Against Atalanta, Mbappe played at the forefront, flanked by Brazilians Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. Jude Bellingham operated behind them. David Alaba is still in rehabilitation after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in December, and a timeline for his return has not yet been set. The ÖFB legionnaire watched the match from the bench with his teammates.
After a manageable initial phase, debutant Mbappe made the first attempt, which was blocked (15th minute). Apart from that, Real had difficulty creating chances. Atalanta defended very high at times, but above all, they were disciplined. The Italians nearly took the lead. Real defender Eder Militao deflected a sharp cross from Marten de Roon onto his own crossbar (25th minute). Just before the halftime break, Rodrygo struck the woodwork on the other side (45+1).
At the beginning of the second half, Thibaut Courtois was called into action for the first time. Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic forced the Real keeper into a superb save with a header (47th minute). A brief phase of pressure from the Italians developed, which Real stifled with the opening goal. The lightning-fast Vinicius Jr. powered down the left flank, and Valverde just had to tap the following cross over the line.
Shortly thereafter, Vinicius Jr. and Bellingham both missed high-quality chances, but the second goal didn’t take long to arrive. Bellingham set up Mbappe in the back, who crowned his debut with a shot into the top corner. In the closing stages, a cross from Vinicius Jr. was nearly deflected into the goal (82nd minute); otherwise, Real allowed Atalanta the game. However, the Italians did not create any more pressing chances. (APA)