The 49th edition of the UEFA Super Cup took place on Wednesday in Warsaw, with Real Madrid taking on Atalanta in the annual curtain raiser of the European football season.
By Zach Lowy
For the 11th time in 12 editions, the UEFA Champions League winner prevailed against the UEFA Europa League winner, as Los Blancos came away with a 2-0 victory at the Kazimierz Górski National Stadium.
Los Blancos had made three changes from their most recent official match – the UEFA Champions League Final – with Aurélien Tchouaméni filling in for the injured Eduardo Camavinga in midfield, whilst the departure of captain Nacho Fernández saw Éder Militão slide into central defense alongside Antonio Rüdiger. Toni Kroos, having retired from professional football after the summer’s European Championships, was replaced by none other than Kylian Mbappé.
Whilst Carlo Ancelotti’s changes reflected a shift to a more attack-minded 4-3-3 setup, with a striker (Mbappé) taking the place of a midfielder (Kroos), Atalanta’s changes were perhaps more defensive. Centre-forward Gianluca Scamacca was unavailable after suffering an ACL injury, with a midfielder – Mario Pašalić – taking his place, whilst Marten de Roon filled in for the wantaway Teun Koopmeiners in the centre of the pitch.
Initially, it seemed that Real’s star power and European pedigree would be enough to subdue Atalanta – whilst Real were competing in a UEFA Super Cup for the ninth time, La Dea looked frazzled in the opening minutes of their first-ever Super Cup and gave away countless fouls in dangerous areas, with Éderson picking up an early booking after hauling down Federico Valverde.
Atalanta, however, weathered that storm and soon stamped their proceedings in Poland. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have proven time and time again that they are no admirers of reputations, whether it be demolishing Liverpool or putting an end to Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run in the UEFA Europa League Final. They defended on the front foot and forced Real to try to beat them vertically, constantly committing men forward and blocking out space in central areas. Charles De Ketelaere quickly emerged as a protagonist in attack, wriggling his way out of pressure, holding up the ball, maintaining his balance and composure and helping out on defense.
After a tepid start to the match, the first real sight of danger took place in the 25th minute as De Roon blasted a shot across goal which deflected off Rüdiger’s head and onto the post. Real could hardly get out of their own half, and when one of their blockbuster forwards did find some daylight, they were quickly swallowed up by a sea of blue shirts. A breakdown in communication in the final third would result in Atalanta charging from one box to the other and hitting on the counter.
Just as they did in the previous Champions League campaign against RB Leipzig, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, Real were going to have to soak up the pressure and gut it out. However, when there’s a Real, there’s a way. As the interval approached, Vinícius Júnior cut through Atalanta’s backline like Swiss cheese with a delightful trivela pass, but Rodrygo’s shot careened off the post.
The second half translated into far more attacking impetus from both sides, with a booming header from Pašalić forcing Thibaut Courtois to stretch a paw out and deny the Croat from close range. Real, meanwhile, showed far more creative verve and dynamism, working their way into set-piece situations and linking up with speed and precision. The game opened up, with both teams taking their turn stretching the opposition and threatening on goal. One way or another, one team was going to score.
It was Real who drew first blood at the hour-mark, with Vinícius dropping his shoulder and leaving Berat Djimsiti in his wake with a deft feint, charging into the corner of the box and sliding a pass across goal, where Federico Valverde was there to convert in front of an empty net. Suddenly, Real looked capable of scoring whenever they ventured into the final third, winning the ball back high up the pitch and shuffling the ball back and forth to exploit Atalanta’s aggressive pressing.
Rodrygo ransacked Isak Hien of possession and slipped the ball in for Vinícius, who elected not to shoot and instead tee up Mbappé. His overhit pass was recovered by Jude Bellingham, who hesitated and faked out Ben Godfrey with a subtle feint before putting it on a platter for Mbappé to strike home and double the lead.
This match was not just the start of a new era for Real, who were moving on from legends like Kroos and Nacho and embracing their incoming French superstar, but it was also an opportunity for several of the frontrunners for this year’s Ballon d’Or to compete on the biggest stage. Dani Carvajal, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius all did their part to ensure that Real’s European dominance continued, but perhaps no player shined brighter than Bellingham, who was selected as the FotMob Player of the Match with a rating of 8.6.
Having excelled as an attacking midfielder in his debut campaign in Madrid, Bellingham was forced to retreat from his #10 role into a left-sided #8 in Ancelotti’s 4-3-3. He held his own and remained composed against Atalanta’s physical, high-pressing style of play, riding multiple challenges and bursting into attacking areas whilst also putting in a shift on defense. The Englishman made four recoveries, won three fouls, and made two interceptions, whilst he also won 10 out of 16 ground duels and three out of four aerial duels. No player created more big chances (two) than Bellingham, who completed 44 out of his 49 passes, won both of his attempted tackles, and set up Mbappé with the decisive second goal.
From that point on, it was smooth sailing for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who racked up six shots on target to Atalanta’s two as well as four big chances to Atalanta’s one. Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso kept the scoreline respectable with a plethora of key interventions, but ultimately, the boys in blue were no match for Los Blancos. Real Madrid prevailed 2-0 in Poland, going clear of Milan and Barcelona and claiming a record sixth UEFA Super Cup title.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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