spirited

Actual Madrid bought their Champions League title defence again up and operating on Tuesday after coming via a tricky battle to win 3-2 at Atalanta.

Targets from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham had been simply sufficient for Madrid to triumph in a red-hot ambiance in Bergamo and transfer as much as 18th place, on 9 factors from six matches.

Madrid would have been vulnerable to dropping out of the play-off locations with defeat, however got here via a tricky check at Serie A leaders Atalanta.

Carlo Ancelotti’s crew moved three factors from the highest eight positions which give direct qualification for the final 16 with two matches remaining of their league part marketing campaign and the second half of this spherical arising on Wednesday.

Madrid inflicted Atalanta’s first defeat on this yr’s revamped competitors and are two factors behind Gian Piero Gasperini’s formidable crew who carried out effectively towards the 15-time European champions however now sit ninth.

“Clearly we’re a bit upset, however we’re studying a lot from these matches,” Gasperini advised Sky.

“We’re lacking tiny particulars, however we performed with coronary heart towards nice champions. We had been defeated in consequence, however not in efficiency.”

Atalanta scored via a Charles De Ketelaere penalty in first-half stoppage time which levelled Mbappe’s early opener and a wonderful Ademola Lookman strike within the sixty fifth minute which put the hosts again within the match not lengthy after Vinicius and Bellingham’s quickfire targets.

Atalanta got here inside inches of snatching a dramatic draw deep in added time when substitute Mateo Retegui by some means shot Lookman’s fizzing cross over from in entrance of objective.

– Mbappe fear –

It wasn’t all excellent news for Madrid. Mbappe needed to depart the sector injured 9 minutes earlier than half-time, after one in all his finest shows since signing for the Spanish giants in the summertime.

“Mbappe has some discomfort in his hamstrings. It does not appear critical however we’ll see tomorrow,” mentioned Ancelotti.

“He could not dash, it damage him a bit and we thought it finest to switch him.”

Mbappe had seemed within the temper from the beginning. He was denied by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi when despatched via on objective within the second minute.

Mbappe made no mistake shortly afterwards. He calmly slotted dwelling after good work by Brahim Diaz.

Mbappe skipped clear once more within the 14th minute of a frantic opening solely to be stopped once more by Carnesecchi.

The hosts overcame the shock of happening and brought about Madrid issues. Solely two last-ditch clearances of Ademola Lookman crosses by Antonio Rudiger denied De Ketelaere faucet ins.

Atalanta had been on high by the point Mbappe was changed by Rodrygo. They scored the objective their first-half show deserved when Aurelien Tchouameni clipped Mario Pasalic’s heels because the Croatia midfielder charged into the realm. De Ketelaere rammed the ensuing spot-kick previous countryman Thibaut Courtois.

Atalanta pushed for the lead however had been undone by unhealthy luck within the 56th minute when an intercepted go ricocheted off Ederson and into the trail of Vinicius who marked his return from a hamstring damage by rifling in his thirteenth objective of the season.

Vinicius turned supplier three minutes later for Bellingham who turned Marten De Roon inside out, earlier than rolling in an excellent end.

That appeared to have settled the match, however Lookman rifled dwelling his eleventh objective of the season at Courtois’ close to submit and from there the sport opened up additional, with each groups tearing at one another.

Lookman couldn’t imagine his eyes when his cross whipped previous a sea of defenders to Retegui, who wasted a golden alternative to degree and allowed Madrid to flee with all three factors.

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