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In Bergamo, we watched a great match between Atalanta and Real Madrid, and although the guests from Madrid were in a rather weakened squad, they managed to win in the end. Real took the lead already in the tenth minute when Kylian Mbappe scored 0:1 on the assist of Brahim Diaz, but the Frenchman had to leave the field only 15 minutes later due to injury, which is surely another hard blow for the Kings. De Ketelaere got Atalanta into the match with a goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time of the first half, but already at the start of the second half, the guests from Madrid solved the question of the winner.
First, in the 56th minute, Vinicius Junior scored a goal to make it 1:2, and just three minutes later, Jude Bellingham scored the third goal for Real Madrid. Atalanta managed to retaliate already in the 65th minute when Lookman scored a goal to make it 2:3, and the home team tried in every way to get a draw, but Real managed to defend themselves and in the end, achieved victory in Bergamo. This match was watched by the legendary Paolo Maldini, who did not spare praise for Real and Ancelotti, with whom he once worked very successfully in Milan.
Maldini stated that for him Real Madrid is without a doubt the biggest club in the world, but also that he knows very well who is right behind them. "Real Madrid is the biggest club, and I'll tell you who is right behind them. It's Milan," Maldini said, then looked back at his former coach. "My friend Carlo has incredible players in his team and he has to find a balance, and that is really the most difficult thing in football. He knows what he is doing, and what kind of coach he is is shown by all the results he has already achieved, so there is no need to talk about it. Playing it was a great pleasure and honor for Carl as a coach. We enjoyed those seasons together in Milan".
Maldini spent his entire career in Milan and played for the first team of the San Siro club for 24 years, which is truly incredible. He retired in 2009, and for Milan he played a total of 901 games and scored 33 goals and added 43 assists. He won everything he could with this club, and was the Rossoneri captain for many years.
Carlo Ancelotti reacts
Although Real Madrid is in a certain crisis, especially in the Champions League, they have shown what they have done many times before. The Royal team should never be impressed. In previous seasons, Real Madrid also used to start poorly, but over time they would pick up their form and finish in the finals.
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed at the press conference after the victory that this was a difficult match for them. Atalanta is the dominant team in Serie A and they are currently the leaders. Gaspperini's team created many problems for the club from Madrid, but Real once again showed their power, celebrating in Italy. Ancelotti was not satisfied with some aspects of the game, but during the match, they raised the rhythm. The Italian expert had only words of praise for Vinicius, Rodrygo, and others.
“It was a tough match because Atalanta demanded a lot from us physically. It was a contest of duels and we won some of them at the beginning. We showed a lot of movement in attack. The match went well and we're happy. It's a big win, not only for the three points, but also on an emotional level. If we get to Christmas alive, things will go well in the second half of the season. Vinicius played today, Rodrygo played part of the game and we'll get Camavinga back. Now we have to hang in there until Christmas.”- he said.
Carlo Ancelotti© The Football Bloc / Youtube Channel Ancelotti also commented on the performance of Mbappe, who scored the first goal. The Italian manager is aware that Kylian is one of the best footballers in the world, and when he is fully fit, there is no doubt that he will pose the biggest threat to the opposing defense. The form of the Frenchman is not exactly ideal, but Mbappe is expected to shine when Real Madrid needs him the most.
“Mbappé was playing well at the start and scored a great goal. Our movement up front was decisive. Vinicius moved around a lot to take the centre-back away from Kylian. We scored the third thanks to a change of position between Vinicius and Bellingham. Mbappé couldn't give us more and Rodrygo replaced him, but he wasn't at 100%. He gave everything he could. With Mbappé at 100%, we might've done a lot better.”
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