Poor Madrid's Game, Against 10 Atalanta Players, Only Won Narrowly In The Final Minutes

Ferland Mendy after scoring Madrid's winning goal (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The single goal recorded by Ferland Mendy secured Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Atalanta, in the Champions League last 16 first leg match played at Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Thursday morning WIB.

Atalanta, who had to play with ten players from the 17th minute after Remo Freuler was sent off, was able to match Real until the final phase of the match. However, a goal by Mendy in the 86th minute made their move to qualify for the next round.

Real will host the second leg, which will be played on 17 March.

⏱️😍 That late winner feeling! #UCL pic.twitter.com/EVFEd2epPQ

- Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 24, 2021

As reported by Antara, Real's visitors got an advantage in the number of players from the start, after Freuler received a red card for his foul on Mendy.

However, Real, who were not reinforced by a number of key players due to injuries such as captains Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard, still have difficulty developing their game. Nor was the Spanish team able to create dangerous chances.

Isco had a good chance, whose shot was deflected and wide. Meanwhile, Marco Asensio's header and free kick were easily anticipated by goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini.

As the game entered its final stages, Mendy became a Real hero with a goal from his curling strike to put Los Blancos ahead.

🤯🚀 Madridistas. Thoughts on that @ferland_mendy STUNNER?! # UCL pic.twitter.com/0qwqnUoIlK

- Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 24, 2021

Atalanta might feel very disappointed with the goal, considering that they appeared strong while defending throughout the match. These results also add to the long list of failures to win a home for Atalanta in this season's Champions League.

🏁 FT: @Atalanta_BC 0-1 @realmadriden ⚽ @ferland_mendy 86 '# Emirates | #UCL pic.twitter.com/vZeDo8Grg0

- Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 24, 2021

The composition of players:

Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Pierluigi Gollini, Rafael Toloi, Cristian Romero, Berat Djimsiti, Joakim Maehle (Jose Luis Palomino 85 '), Maren de Roon, Remo Freuler, Robin Gosens, Matteo Pessina, Duvan Zapata (Mario Pasalic 30 '), Luis Muriel (Josip Ilicic 56' (Ruslan Malinovskiy 86 '))

Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Thibuat Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Raphael Varane, Nacho Fernandez, Ferland Mendy, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Marco Asensio, Isco (Hugo Duro 76 '), Vinicius Jr (Mariano Diaz 58 ')

Coach: Zinedine Zidane