Fulfilling his childhood dream, Kylian Mbappe made his competitive debut for Real Madrid on Wednesday, August 14, spearheading the attack in the UEFA Super Cup clash against Atalanta. The Frenchman was not at his unplayable best, but he marked his debut with a stunning goal, helping Los Blancos to a comfortable 2-0 victory.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti picked his strongest XI for the game against Atalanta, picking an explosive front three of Rodrygo, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr. In midfield, he went with the trio of Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Aurelien Tchouameni. And at the back, he picked the dependable four-man defense of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy, with Thibaut Courtois guarding the goal.
Kylian Mbappe Scores As Real Madrid Claim UEFA Super Cup
The All-Whites enjoyed a lot of the ball in the first 10 minutes. However, their new-look attack took time to settle in. Additionally, without Toni Kroos pinging balls from deep, the transitions were slow and predictable. Atalanta also struggled to find the rhythm and spent the first half without troubling Courtois. At the end of the first half, Madrid had a dismal xG of 0.38. Atalanta, meanwhile, had 0.10.
Four minutes into the second half, Atalanta came close to opening the scoring, with Mario Pasalic dispatching a low header toward the top-right corner. Luckily for Real Madrid, Courtois was on his toes and made a brilliant save to keep his team level. The Atalanta chance served as a wake-up call for the Merengues, with them clicking into gear after the incident.
Just before the hour mark, Vinicius Jr. exhibited his devastating burst of pace to open up a bit of room on the left side and sent a low cross toward Valverde inside the area. The Uruguayan applied a cool finish from point-blank range to make it 1-0 for Real Madrid. Nine minutes later, Madridistas got to see their latest Galactico wheel away in celebration after scoring on his debut.
Kylian Mbappé's first goal for Real Madrid ⚽🎥#SuperCup pic.twitter.com/tkp33z0tnm
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 14, 2024
Vinicius Jr. burst into the box from the inside-right channel before squaring it to Bellingham on the left. Mbappe could not get involved in the exchange the first time, but he showed superb intelligence to step back into the defenders’ blind slide, allowing Bellingham to play the ball into the channel. The Englishman understood the assignment and played a brilliant through ball, permitting Mbappe to claim his first goal with a first-time finish.
Jude Bellingham Takes Home Man of the Match Award
Bellingham, who got a bit of flak for his performances for England in the 2024 European Championship, had a mediocre first half. However, he returned to his sublime best in the second 45. He glided into dangerous areas without breaking a sweat, linked up flawlessly with teammates, and, most impressively, did not shy away from putting a shift in at the back. To top it off, he provided a brilliant assist to newcomer Mbappe, showing his ability to play perfectly weighted through balls.
Before coming off to an ovation in the 88th minute, Bellingham completed a match-best five dribbles, created a game-high three chances, and won 13 duels — more than anyone else on the pitch. He also completed 44 passes with 90% accuracy, created two big chances, made four recoveries, and drew three fouls. His sensational performance won him the Man of the Match award in the first game of the season.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
