- Kylian Mbappé nets his first goal for Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup
- Jude Bellingham displays top form in the midfield after a quiet EURO 2024
- Atalanta puts up a valiant fight despite a turbulent summer and key player absences
As the European football season begins, Real Madrid wasted no time in reaffirming their European superiority with a 2-0 victory over last season’s Europa League winners, Atalanta, in the UEFA Super Cup.
Kylian Mbappé, who made his much-anticipated debut on Wednesday, August 14, in Warsaw, Poland, found the back of the net after 68 minutes into his Real Madrid career.
Even with the match’s twists and turns, Mbappé’s first appearance met expectations, Vinicius Jr. showed again why he is a fan favourite, and Atalanta’s keeper went from zero to hero to prevent a goal from Vinicius.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best evening Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman had hoped for.
Mbappe gives critics no chance with stellar performance
The French forward had a subdued first half, much like his teammates, as they shook off the rust from a summer filled with tournaments and limited pre-season training. However, a slick nutmeg showed that Mbappé was warming up, and his defining moment came just 8 minutes after the hour mark when he finished coolly inside the box, thanks to some brilliant setup play from Jude Bellingham.
Lookman nearly opened the scoring in the 36th minute, but Antonio Rudiger’s timely intervention for Madrid thwarted the chance.
Lookman, a key player in Atalanta’s Europa League final journey, faced the daunting task of contending with Real Madrid’s lethal attacking trio of Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, and Kylian Mbappé. Unfortunately for him, the match shifted dramatically in the second half.
Real Madrid’s lineup, stacked with world-class talent, proved their worth, particularly in the second half.
The game’s turning point came from a stunning save by Thibaut Courtois, who denied Mario Pašalić early on and kept Atalanta from taking the lead.
Shortly after, Vini Jr. set up Fede Valverde for a simple tap-in, putting Real Madrid in control, before Mbappe wrapped it up with another goal. The second goal, however, was a collective effort of Vini Jr., Rodrygo, Bellingham, and Mbappé.
With this goal, Mbappé joined the ranks of Galácticos like Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo, who also scored on their Real Madrid debuts. After the match, Mbappé set a lofty goal of scoring 50 times this season.
Bellingham, who struggled at EURO 2024, was also back to his best, bossing the midfield in the second half.
Atalanta, despite being outmatched, showed confidence throughout the game and nearly took the lead early in the second half. This match comes in between a tough summer for them, with key players injured and others pushing for transfers.
With the upcoming changes to the Champions League, Atalanta’s presence shows the competition remains unpredictable and will be filled with unexpected results this season.
Record 6th Super Cup win for Los Blancos
Real Madrid has now claimed the record for the most Super Cup victories, with six titles. Before this recent win, Madrid was tied with Barcelona and AC Milan, each holding five Super Cup titles. However, Wednesday's success allows Los Blancos to stand alone at the top. They previously secured the trophy in 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2022, and now again in 2024. On the other hand, they have been runners-up three times, in 1998, 2000, and 2018.
UEFA Super Cup Preview: 3 things take centre stage as Nigeria’s Lookman locks horn with Real Madrid
Previously, TheRadar reported that Atlanta triumphed 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League Final against a strong Bayer Leverkusen side, earning their spot in the UEFA Super Cup final, with Ademola Lookman netting a hat-trick.
On the other hand, Real Madrid emerged victorious in the UEFA Champions League final with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, adding their 15th European Championship to their illustrious history.
