Real Madrid Triumphs Over Atalanta with Crucial 3-2 Champions League Victory

Real Madrid earned an essential 3-2 Champions League triumph at Atalanta on Tuesday owing to goals from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Jude Bellingham as the holders ended a two-game losing streak in the tournament.

Real dealt the Serie A frontrunners their inaugural defeat in this campaign’s redesigned Champions League after Mbappe secured the advantage with a shot from inside the area in the 10th minute before he was substituted due to an injury.

Charles de Ketelaere leveled with a spot-kick after Aurelien Tchouameni fouled Sead Kolasinac from behind just before halftime, but Vinicius Jr tapped in a rebound in the 56th minute to regain the lead for the visitors.

Bellingham increased their advantage after a swift counter three minutes later, but Ademola Lookman narrowed the gap in the 65th before Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois showcased his expertise with a series of stops to ensure a hard-earned victory.

With two matches remaining, Real are 18th in the 36-team standings with nine points, three points short of the top eight positions which grant automatic passage to the round of 16. Atalanta are ninth with 11 points, slipping into the playoff zone.

“It was a fantastic match, and we’re thrilled that Real Madrid claimed it,” Brahim Diaz, who assisted Mbappe for the opening goal, told Movistar Plus.

“We arrived here with determination, and for the players, these matches are opportunities to demonstrate that we belong at a club like Real Madrid. This team still has much to contribute, and we’re ready to give even more.

“We’ll approach it one match at a time. We can reach 15 points if we win the remaining two games and then see how it unfolds. Things are aligning as they should, and that’s encouraging.”

After an extraordinary season in which they secured record-breaking titles in LaLiga and the Champions League, Real have faced difficulties defending their European crown.

They were defeated in three of their prior four international fixtures before traveling to Italy to confront in-form Atalanta, who were undefeated in the competition and had conceded just one goal.

Mbappe, scrutinized for an uneven start at Real, opened the match strongly and tested Marco Carnesecchi with a couple of impressive early stops, but the keeper could do nothing to prevent the France captain from giving Real the lead.

He found the net with a precise strike from inside the area after skillfully controlling a pass by Diaz with one touch to maneuver the ball past a defender and set himself up to score.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the visitors until Mbappe was forced off in the 35th minute with what appeared to be a muscle strain, leading to his substitution by Rodrygo.

After Antonio Ruediger squandered a clear chance in the 39th, De Ketelaere unleashed a thunderous shot into the top corner to equalize, but just as Atalanta’s confidence grew after the break, they handed Vinicius a rebound he converted effortlessly.

Bellingham netted to extend the score to 3-1 minutes later, but after Lookman delivered a precise low shot from the edge of the area, Courtois produced vital saves to thwart Raoul Bellanova, Mateo Retegui, Matteo Ruggeri, and Lazar Samardzic to secure the win.