Kylian Mbappe got off the mark on his debut to help Real Madrid to their record breaking sixth UEFA Super Cup. Federico Valverde broke the deadlock as Los Blancos beat Atalanta 2-0 in Warsaw.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was a quiet first half at the National Stadium with neither side able to register a shot on target before the break. The highlight of the half came in the dying moments as Rodrygo hit the crossbar from close range.
Both sides increased the tempo after the interval and it was Atalanta who almost took the lead. Davide Zappacosta hung a lovely cross into the 18-yard box which was met by Mario Pasalic. The Croatian’s header looked goal-bound but Thibaut Courtois made a finger-tip save to turn the ball away for a corner.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was Valverde who opened the scoring on the hour mark with a simple tap in, Vinicius Junior deserved the praise for the goal though as he shimmied past Berat Djimsiti before driving the ball across the face of goal into Valverde’s path.
A flurry of chances to double the lead followed instantly after Valverde’s goal. The best opportunity fell to Vinicius who looked destined to score but was unable to add to his assist due to Juan Musso’s super stop.
It was Mbappe who doubled Real Madrid’s advantage in the 68th minute with a first-time finish into the top right corner. Vinicius was involved once again as he attempted to square the pass to Mbappe but it over-ran through to Jude Bellingham.
The English midfielder played the ball into Mbappe’s path and he did the rest to get off the mark for Los Blancos. It was destined to happen wasn’t it?
Embed from Getty ImagesCarlo Ancelotti’s side saw out the remaining 20 minutes before referee Sandro Scharer blew the final whistle, confirming them as the Super Cup champions for the sixth time. This cup victory saw them overtake AC Milan and Barcelona who have won the trophy five times each.
Real Madrid veterans Lucas Vazquez and Luka Modric hit some personal milestones tonight too. Vazquez made his 350th appearance for the club whilst Modric became the most decorated player in the club’s history with 27 trophies.
The new season is here but Real Madrid remain the gold standard.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Isabelle Newnham
INMR FOOTBALL 
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