They say cats have nine lives, but it’s nothing compared to Real Madrid.Los Blancos spectacularly pushed themselves out of the abyss again on Tuesday night at Atalanta (3-2).Carlo Ancelotti’s side is now sitting in 18th place, which sounds awkward, but it’s much more than they could hope for at some moments of this five-goal thriller tonight.The Spaniards should thank their superstars – Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior – and their out-of-this-world virtues for prevailing against the excellent Gian Piero Gasperini’s slot.Super Cup 🤝 Champions League….Real Madrid complete a season double over Atalanta 💥🏆⚪️ pic.twitter.com/sirhgD4kaU— OneFootball (@OneFootball) December 10, 2024 Just like in their European Super Cup clash back in August, Mbappe seemed very inspired and even swaggered against the Nerazzurri. It was visible straight from the kick-off that he was eager to make an early impact on that game, dazzling between Atalanta’s centre-backs.He reaped the dividends soon, as his powerful strike inside the penalty area ended in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Just like Salah, that was Mbappe’s 50th Champions League goal.After scoring against Girona on Saturday, he made a sensational first touch tonight to provide himself with a perfect opportunity to drill the ball into the far corner. However, that superb start was not a prelude to something amazing for Los Blancos. On the contrary, it all went downhill for them in the first half from that point, as the Frenchman suffered an injury that saw him leaving the pitch after just 35 minutes. He added his name to the already too-long list of Los Blancos’ absentees.To make things worse, Tchouameni knocked Kolasinac down in the area, resulting in a deserved penalty, which De Ketelaere converted fiercely to level the score in the dying moments of the first half, 1-1.And that was just the beginning.The second half was a true fireworks, with a tit-for-tat approach, as Madrid kept distancing themselves before Lookman pegged one back to pour some more drama to the game.In the span of just four minutes – between 56th and 59th – the visitors netted twice through their remarkable attackers, thanks to their individual skills and qualities. First, it was Vinicius Junior who decided to step up when the going gets tough, and exploited Atalanta’s defensive flaws to restore his team’s lead.What to say about Bellingham then, because Madrid’s third was nothing more than a showcase of his incredible dribbling tricks and superb finishing.The two-goal deficit, however, didn’t seem to kill the hope among the Italians, who responded shortly with Lookman’s lovely solo effort.That was a sign for Gasperini to go all-in, as he opted for a total offence, and the Serie A leaders had a sensational chance in the ultimate seconds of the game, but unmarked Retegui missed the empty net from a very close range.Gasperini lost his fourth game against Ancelotti, leaving Liverpool as the only UCL side that hasn’t lost a single game this season.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND 6TuesdayDinamo Zagreb – Celtic 0-0Girona – Liverpool 0-1 (0-0)/Salah 63 pen/Atalanta – Real Madrid 2-3 (1-1)/De Ketelaere 45+2 pen, Lookman 65 – Mbappe 10, Vinicius Jr 56, Bellingham 59/Brest – PSV (1-0)/Cardinal 43/Club Brugge – Sporting 2-1 (1-1)/Quaresma 24 og, Nielsen 83 – Catamo 3/Leverkusen – Inter 1-0 (0-0)/Mukiele 90/RB Leipzig – Aston Villa 2-3 (1-1)/Openda 27, Baumgartner 62 – McGinn 3, Duran 52, Barkley 85/Salzburg – PSG 0-3 (0-1)/Ramos 30, Mendes 72, Doue 85/Shakhtar – Bayern Munich 1-5 (1-2)/Kevin 5 – Laimer 11, Muller 45, Olise 70 pen 90+3, Musiala 87/Wednesday20:45: (1.08) Atl.Madrid (13.0) Slovan B. (20.0)20:45: (1.53) Lille (4.10) Sturm (6.50)23:00: (1.35) Arsenal (5.50) Monaco (10.0)23:00: (1.62) Benfica (4.10) Bologna (6.25)23:00: (3.60) Dortmund (3.70) Barcelona (2.10)23.00: (1.38) Feyenoord (4.80) Sparta Praha (8.50)23:00: (3.80) Juventus (3.50) Man.City (2.10)23:00: (1.28) Milan (6.20) Crvena Zvezda (12.0)23:00: (1.35) Stuttgart (5.30) Young Boys (8.00)***odds are subject to change***
