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A goal and a trophy. How about that for a debut by Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid?
The France captain pulled on the famous white jersey of the Spanish champions for the first time in a competitive match and marked the occasion with the second goal in a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.
Mbappé, who started and played 82 minutes at the National Stadium in Warsaw, met a pass from Jude Bellingham across the area with a shot into the top corner in the 68th minute.
“He's just one of those players, isn’t he?” Bellingham said of Mbappé. “He is brilliant — he is so sharp, has so much technical quality and a great teammate as well.”
After putting both arms across his chest for his trademark celebration, Mbappé was congratulated by Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, the other members of Madrid’s star-studded strike force that might be sending tremors around European soccer heading into the new season.
Federico Valverde tapped home a cross from Vinícius in the 59th to set Madrid on its way to a record sixth victory in the Super Cup, the annual match between the Champions League winners (Madrid) and the Europa League champions (Atalanta).
Madrid is used to holding records — no team has more European Cup titles than its 15 — and owning the world’s best players.
Mbappé certainly belongs in that category and it was a strong start to life at the world’s top soccer club, one he dreamt of playing for as a kid.
Now he is Madrid’s No. 9, starting the Super Cup as the team’s central striker — to limited success aside from a couple of spins and tricks that wowed the crowd in the first half — before moving out wide for the second half to greater effect.
“We have a new-look team and it seemed to just click tonight,” Bellingham said. “Sometimes it takes a bit of time – the first half we were still adjusting — and the second half it all came together and we were brilliant.”
Vinícius and Bellingham, stars of Madrid’s run to the Champions League and La Liga titles last season, were the game’s standout players, however, as Carlo Ancelotti’s team eventually overpowered Atalanta after an even first half that saw both sides hit the crossbar.
Madrid defender Eder Militao deflected a cross onto his own bar before Rodrygo fired in a shot just before halftime that struck the top of the bar.
“At one point, the game was within our reach," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.
Atalanta almost took the lead early in the second half when Mario Pašalić had a header tipped aside by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois but Madrid was dominant thereafter, with Vinícius operating more down the middle.
It might take a while for Ancelotti to find the ideal formula up front — Brazil striker Endrick, a summer signing like Mbappé, didn’t even come off the bench for the match — but it’s an enviable dilemma for the Italian coach.
Luka Modric, the 38-year-old Croatia great who was one of five second-half substitutes for Madrid, lifted the trophy high to a backdrop of gold confetti as Mbappé danced and led the celebrations beside him — before getting his hands on the hardware himself.
