Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Atalanta on Tuesday evening in the sixth round of the Champions League group stage.
Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Jude Bellingham found the net for Real Madrid, scoring in the 10th, 56th, and 59th minutes respectively. Meanwhile, Atalanta responded with goals from Charles De Ketelaere in the 45+2nd minute and Ademola Lookman in the 65th minute, keeping the match competitive until the final whistle.
With this victory, Real Madrid climbed to 9 points, securing 18th place in the standings, while Atalanta remained stuck at 11 points in ninth place.
The match kicked off with the visitors applying early pressure. Real Madrid’s striker Kylian Mbappé surged into Atalanta’s penalty area and unleashed a shot, but goalkeeper Carnesecchi made a crucial save in the opening minute.
Atalanta responded swiftly. In the 3rd minute, Lookman received a cross inside the box and fired at goal, only for Courtois to showcase his brilliance with an excellent save.
Fede Valverde attempted a powerful strike from outside the box in the 7th minute, but it sailed just over the left post. Moments later, in the 10th minute, Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock. A well-timed through ball from Brahim Diaz found him in stride, and he calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner past Carnesecchi.
Mbappé nearly doubled the lead in the 13th minute with another shot from inside the area, but Carnesecchi was there to deny him again. At the other end, Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger made a heroic goal-line clearance to stop De Ketelaere’s effort in the 16th minute.
The drama unfolded in the 35th minute when Mbappé went down clutching his leg, appearing to suffer a muscle injury. Manager Carlo Ancelotti acted quickly, substituting him with Brazilian forward Rodrygo Goes.
As the first half neared its end, Tchouaméni committed a harsh challenge on Atalanta’s Kolasinac, prompting the referee to award a penalty. Charles De Ketelaere converted confidently, bringing the score level to 1-1 before the halftime whistle.
Early in the second half, Lookman nearly gave Atalanta the lead with a thunderous strike from outside the box in the 53rd minute, but it narrowly missed Courtois’ left post.
Real Madrid regained the advantage in the 56th minute when Vinícius Júnior capitalized on a misplaced pass by Atalanta’s Ederson. Vinícius pounced, dribbling past the goalkeeper and calmly slotting the ball into the net. Just three minutes later, Jude Bellingham added a third. After receiving a pass from Vinícius, Bellingham danced through the defence and fired a low shot into the bottom right corner.
Atalanta pulled one back in the 65th minute when Lookman converted a precise cross from Samardzic, delivering a low shot into the bottom corner past Courtois.
Real Madrid came close to extending their lead in the 69th minute. Vinícius’s strike was parried by Carnesecchi, but Brahim Diaz failed to capitalize on the rebound, sending his shot over the crossbar.
In the 80th minute, Courtois made a critical save to block Samardzic’s effort from the edge of the penalty area. Atalanta nearly found the equalizer in stoppage time when Lookman unleashed a powerful attempt, but the ball flew just over the bar. The final whistle confirmed Real Madrid’s hard-fought win and three valuable points.
