Another victory over the wire for Real Madrid

Real Madrid needed the win and achieved it in Bergamo with a mix of expertise, sacrifice, luck, and a touch of quality, three points that significantly improve their position in a Champions League where they had previously suffered three defeats.

In the red, Madrid suffered another injury because there is no match where Ancelotti's team does not lose someone. This time it was Mbappé, who went down in the 35th minute of the first half and walked off to the locker rooms in distress.

The French forward couldn't have started better because he scored a goal in the best Mbappé style after nine minutes, receiving an assist from Brahim Diaz, turning to leave De Roon behind, and beating the Italian goalkeeper with a tight shot to the post. It was the Frenchman's 50th goal in the Champions League, the second with the white shirt. Shortly after, he could have scored a double on a counterattack, but he rushed and shot at Carnesecchi's body when he could have pushed the play a little further.

The match was pretty much as expected. Atalanta pressed relentlessly because that's all they know how to do. It was surprising that Gasperini left Retegui, their top scorer, on the bench at the start of such an important game, but sometimes he prefers to use him as a game-changer for the second half.

Real Madrid accepted the long ball game and for many minutes played without transitions in the center of the field, with long passes behind the defenders. It worked well at first, but as the minutes passed, their game dissolved and the ball was in Atalanta's possession, which failed to put Courtois in trouble until just in injury time in a clumsy action by Tchouaméni, which resulted in a penalty for knocking down Kolisinac, a penalty that De Ketelaere seized to secure the draw. It was a shame for the Frenchman because up to that point his performance as a center-back had been quite decent.

The game was getting tough for Madrid because they needed a goal and their two forwards, Vinicius and Rodrygo, were coming back from injuries and had practically not been present in the first half, especially Vinicius, lacking spark and speed, which are key to his game.

The second half didn't bring much improvement for Madrid right away. The Whites tried to control the game more, but were far from dangerous positions. Atalanta seemed more threatening, with Lookman having a goal chance, but Courtois thwarted the shot.

And so, in the most unexpected way, Madrid struck twice in three minutes and scored two goals. These are the things that Madrid has in this competition, which often do not have a logical soccer explanation beyond the fact that the club bench is made for the Champions League and lives with it an endless love story.

The first one came from an incomprehensible rebound that fell inside the box to Vinícius, who only had to take advantage of the gift. Two minutes later, in the midst of the locals' breakdown, Bellingham scored the 1-3 with a shot after a personal move, the Englishman's sixth goal in the last six matches.

The match was not resolved because Atalanta is one of those relentless teams. They attacked fiercely, and Courtois managed to prevent the goal a couple of times, but he couldn't stop Lookman's shot in the 65th minute.

The game turned into a back-and-forth affair, although Real Madrid tried to slow down the pace. Atalanta kept trying until the end, and in the last moment, Retegui missed an incredible goal almost on the goal line with a shot that went over the crossbar. Real Madrid breathed a sigh of relief as they advance in the Champions League.