Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that his team had to dig deep in winning a record sixth UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on Wednesday. The first half was especially poor, with Madrid managing just three shots with an expected goals of 0.38; improved form in the second half then sealed the win 2-0 with Federico Valverde and Kylian Mbappe.
Ancelotti, the man who equaled Miguel Munoz as the most decorated Madrid coach with 14 titles, conceded that his players were “suffering” during the match. “We suffered a bit in the first half because Atalanta pressed a lot and played very well defensively. They won more duels than us,” Ancelotti said.
The game changed in the second half due to the fact that Atalanta were tired, and there were spaces to execute, thereby giving Madrid’s attackers space. “With that space, Rodrygo, Vinicius, and Mbappe are very dangerous,” added Ancelotti.
One of the highlights was Mbappe’s debut goal, becoming the first Madrid player to score on his competitive debut since Jude Bellingham a year ago. Ancelotti was sure that Mbappe was going to score more than he did with 50 goals last season: “He has the quality to score a lot of goals, more than 50.”
Now, Madrid prepares for their Sunday La Liga opener against Mallorca.
