UEFA Super Cup Final 2024

Real Madrid vs Atalanta

By Jay Tamang 

Score 2 = 0

Warsaw National Stadium       14 August 2024

It was the first match of the new season of 2024/25 for Real Madrid, and also the very first match for newly arrived super player Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid was looking for its 6th Super Cup to win if they can come out victorious in this game. Real Madrid players’ confidence level must be quite high, so as we fans, with the solid and strong attacking players on the field. 

First Half 
Upto 15th minutes, the game was balanced, and no danger to either side. In about the 15th minute Valverde’s pass Mbappe received a close-range pass inside the D area, but the goal shot was blocked by a defender. It was the first opportunity for Real Madrid and for Mbappe. Again 2 minutes later, Vinicius gets a crossball from Carvajal, but Vini couldn’t touch the ball. If he could it might have turned into the 1st goal as it was close range inside the 6-yard box. 

At the end of the 24th minute when Atalanta kept on the pressure, an opponent player kicked the ball for a cross pass for his attacking player, Militao headed that ball, but the ball hit the far top bar of his own goalpost. Thank God! The ball hit the bar and got deflected. Had the ball hit a few inches below the bar, it would have turned out to be an own goal for poor Militao. 

In the 34th minute, Vinicius flicked an open ball for Bellingham. He shouldered the ball and tried for the goal kick, but the keeper got the ball before him, so the chance was lost. Vinicius created an excellent opportunity with his superb skill. But in the process, the Atalanta keeper got hurt a little, and Bellingham got a yellow card. 

During this First Half game, we saw our players playing in different positions. Rodrygo played in the left wing at times, Valverde came at the back positions, Rudiger and Militao went up to the attacking positions, and so on. There seemed to be free movements of our players. It was perhaps Ancelloti’s strategy to mislead the opposite team as they were marking man to man in this game.

Vinicius got a yellow card for stepping on the foot of an opposition player’s captain. But Vinicius did complain a lot about it. So far Vinicius had been tackled many times by the opposition players, so in return, he might be complaining about it. 

One golden opportunity Real Madrid got in the 1st half extra time, but the ball hit the top post bar and went out. Vinicius passed the ball for Rodrigo inside the D area and all by himself and the keeper. But as he shot the ball, the ball hit the top bar and went out. This was the best chance for a goal for Real Madrid so far in the game. Real Madrid would have been a goal ahead at the half-time. 

Upto half-time Real Madrid created a few good chances but was unable to convert them into goals. Atlanta was also unable to create any real threat so far in the game. The game hung on the balance up to this half-time.

Second Half
The second half started with more energy and enthusiasm and it had to be so because both the teams would be looking for a result in their favor. 

In the 47th minute, Atlanta created a real threat to Courtois and nearly scored a goal. It was the first serious threat of Atlanta to Courtois and he was able to avoid it. It was a header ball aiming for the top right corner of the post, but Courtois jumped and stretched his hands and fingers away the ball out for a corner. This was his very first serious and brilliant save of the evening. 

As the time progressed into 2nd half, the game got more intensive and both teams had more attacking strategies. In the 59th minute, Bellingham passed the ball inside the D box to Vini, and Vini dribbled the ball and passed it to Valverde inside the 6-yard box all free and open and he easily pushed the ball into the open net for a goal. Hence the 1st goal of the match was scored by Valverde on the beautiful pass of Vinicius. Vinicius had made this look so easy and possible, and he had been doing this again and again in the game. 

After scoring the goal, 2 minutes later Bellingham passed the ball to Vinicius, and Vinicius with the ball and he only had to beat the keeper. The keeper came forward, and Vini sent the ball over his head, the keeper was swiftly able to finger the ball and sent it for a corner. This was Vini’s golden chance to add another goal for his team in one to one situation with the keeper. 

Again a very thrilling situation emerged in the game, Real Madrid had a corner ball, somebody headed it and the ball landed at the feet of Bellingham. Bellingham shot for the goal and it was deflected but still, the ball was dropping into the goalpost, the keeper, Musso, somehow was able to hand the ball out. 

The opponent keeper, Musso, brilliantly saved two very dangerous balls within the span of two minutes in this game. The momentum of the game was in the favour of Real Madrid so far in the second half. 

As Real Madrid kept pressing, Bellingham had a chance to shoot for a goal from the left 6-yard line at 66 minutes, but again the keeper was very good enough to stop this attempt too. As per the commentator, if not for the goalkeeper, there would have been more goals scored by Real Madrid by then. 

The most amazing moment arrived in the 68th minute of the game. Rodrygo snatched the ball from a defender and passed it to rushing Vinicius, and he passed it to Mbappe but Mbappe missed it. Luckily Bellingham got the ball and he passed the ball for Mbappe, and he shot the ball between two defenders to the top right of the net, a way away from the keeper’s reach, and thus Mbappe had his golden moment of the game. 

Mbappe’s first match and first goal for Real Madrid, his dream come true and so of all Madridistas all over the world. 

Atalanta built a good attack in the 72nd minute, a player sent a good cross-ball pass inside the 6-yard box, but an Atalanta player and Courtois both missed the ball, and a defender cleared the ball away. If the attacking player could have touched the ball, sure enough, it would have been an easy goal in Atalanta’s favor. It was one sure a golden chance for Atalanta which they missed. 

Rodrygo missed a goal-scoring chance in the 74th minute when he received the ball from Mbappe. He received the ball on the left side of the box and as he had only to beat the goalkeeper, he just hit the ball with his right outside foot and it was easily caught by the keeper, Musso. If he had used his left foot with a more powerful shot, it might have been difficult for the keeper to stop it. 

In the 2nd half, Real Madrid played the more pressing game and created more chances. Vinicius and Bellingham played superbly and made the team victorious at the end. The commentators were commenting on the playing style and body movement of Bellingham to that of great Zidane. Bellingham worked hard and played very well and deserved the man of the match title. 

Overall it looked like in up upcoming season, Real Madrid is going to be a solid team and the opponents need some good luck to defeat this superb team.