Bergamo, Dec 11 (IANS) Real Madrid emerged victorious against Atalanta with a 3-2 win, to record their third win in the Champions League. After losing their last two games in the competition, Ancelotti claimed the win was a “breath of fresh air.”
It was a thrilling game, with five goals and plenty of end-to-end action, but Madrid prevailed in what was a do-or-die encounter for Madrid. The visitors did so against a side, that was unbeaten in their last 14 games, which has seen them sit at number one in the Serie A table.
“This victory is a breath of fresh air because it allows us to properly prepare for the Champions League matches in January. I hope we have more players and we feel more relaxed today than yesterday,” said Ancelotti in the post-match conference.
Mbappe, who left the pitch with a slight niggle before the break, gave Ancelotti’s side a lead with a wonderful goal, only for De Ketelaere to equalise from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time. In the second half, Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham brought the score to 1-3, but Lookman put the home side back in the ascendancy, but the Italians were unable to break down the Madrid defence again.
“Mbappe 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. Mbappe couldn’t give us more and Rodrygo replaced him, but he wasn’t at 100 percent. He gave everything he could. With Mbappe at 100 percent, we might’ve done a lot better,” added the head coach.
With the win, Real Madrid moved up to 18th position in the UCL table. With just two games left to be played in the league stage. Madrid will be hoping to win both encounters with the aim of finishing in the top eight and securing a direct qualification to the knockout rounds.
“I don’t know if 15 points will get us into the top 8, but our goal is to win the next two games,” concluded Ancelotti.
–IANS
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