With a 2-0 victory over Atalanta in Warsaw, Kylian Mbappe scored on his debut to help Real Madrid win the UEFA Super Cup.
Federico Valverde scored goals as well for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, who raised the trophy for a record-tying sixth time.
Mbappe endured a quiet first half at Warsaw’s National Stadium, Isak Hien blocking his 15th-minute shot, while the woodwork denied both teams inside the opening 45 minutes.
Marten de Roon’s cross was deflected by Eder Militao against his own crossbar, and in first-half stoppage time, Rodrygo hit the crossbar opposite.
Within two minutes of the restart, Thibaut Courtois superbly palmed away Mario Pasalic’s header, giving Atalanta a chance.
But in the 59th minute, Madrid broke the deadlock when Vinicius Junior raced past Berat Djimsiti and squared for Valverde to tap into an empty net.
Though Juan Musso made an incredible save to keep out Vinicius and Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos doubled their lead nine minutes later when Bellingham threaded a beautiful through ball for Mbappe to lift into the net.
The entire preamble to this match was focused on Mbappe’s upcoming debut following his sensational transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite enduring a largely quiet first half, he adapted to life as a Galactico quite quickly. His fine second-half strike sealed Madrid’s record-breaking sixth Super Cup triumph.
Teammates Carvajal and Modric also created history by being the first players to play in five consecutive Super Cup victories.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
