Fulfilling his childhood dream, Kylian Mbappe made his aggressive debut for Actual Madrid on Wednesday, August 14, spearheading the assault within the UEFA Tremendous Cup conflict in opposition to Atalanta. The Frenchman was not at his unplayable greatest, however he marked his debut with a surprising purpose, serving to Los Blancos to a snug 2-0 victory.
Actual Madrid supervisor Carlo Ancelotti picked his strongest XI for the sport in opposition to Atalanta, selecting an explosive entrance three of Rodrygo, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr. In midfield, he went with the trio of Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Aurelien Tchouameni. And on the again, he picked the reliable four-man protection of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy, with Thibaut Courtois guarding the purpose.
Kylian Mbappe Scores As Actual Madrid Declare UEFA Tremendous Cup
The All-Whites loved quite a lot of the ball within the first 10 minutes. Nonetheless, their new-look assault took time to settle in. Moreover, with out Toni Kroos pinging balls from deep, the transitions have been sluggish and predictable. Atalanta additionally struggled to search out the rhythm and spent the primary half with out troubling Courtois. On the finish of the primary half, Madrid had a dismal xG of 0.38. Atalanta, in the meantime, had 0.10.
4 minutes into the second half, Atalanta got here near opening the scoring, with Mario Pasalic dispatching a low header towards the top-right nook. Fortunately for Actual Madrid, Courtois was on his toes and made an excellent save to maintain his workforce degree. The Atalanta probability served as a wake-up name for the Merengues, with them clicking into gear after the incident.
Simply earlier than the hour mark, Vinicius Jr. exhibited his devastating burst of tempo to open up a little bit of room on the left aspect and despatched a low cross towards Valverde inside the world. The Uruguayan utilized a cool end from point-blank vary to make it 1-0 for Actual Madrid. 9 minutes later, Madridistas received to see their newest Galactico wheel away in celebration after scoring on his debut.
Kylian Mbappé’s first purpose for Actual Madrid
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— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 14, 2024
Vinicius Jr. burst into the field from the inside-right channel earlier than squaring it to Bellingham on the left. Mbappe couldn’t become involved within the trade the primary time, however he confirmed very good intelligence to step again into the defenders’ blind slide, permitting Bellingham to play the ball into the channel. The Englishman understood the task and performed an excellent by ball, allowing Mbappe to assert his first purpose with a first-time end.
Jude Bellingham Takes Dwelling Man of the Match Award
Bellingham, who received a little bit of flak for his performances for England within the 2024 European Championship, had a mediocre first half. Nonetheless, he returned to his chic greatest within the second 45. He glided into harmful areas with out breaking a sweat, linked up flawlessly with teammates, and, most impressively, didn’t draw back from placing a shift in on the again. To high it off, he offered an excellent help to newcomer Mbappe, exhibiting his potential to play completely weighted by balls.
Earlier than coming off to an ovation within the 88th minute, Bellingham accomplished a match-best 5 dribbles, created a game-high three possibilities, and gained 13 duels — greater than anybody else on the pitch. He additionally accomplished 44 passes with 90% accuracy, created two large possibilities, made 4 recoveries, and drew three fouls. His sensational efficiency gained him the Man of the Match award within the first sport of the season.
