Real Madrid ease past Atalanta to make Champions League statement
Real Madrid are through to the quarter-finals of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League after beating Atalanta 4-1 on aggregate. Los Blancos weren’t too impressive in the group stage of the competition, but they’ve now come to the party.
After coasting to a narrow 1-0 win against the Italian side in the first leg away from home, Real Madrid completed the job with a hard-fought 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.
For a side that has struggled in recent weeks, Real Madrid produced a superb performance against Atalanta. They had won just one of their last three games before Wednesday’s match but put up a scintillating performance.
Goals from Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio were enough to secure an important win for Real Madrid, with Luis Muriel’s second-half strike being a consolation for Atalanta.
The European kings are back
Real Madrid have been far from their best this season. Los Blancos have been limping both in the La Liga and in Europe.
However, their performance against Atalanta shows they are far from finished. Many had already written them off, but Zinedine Zidane’s side are third in La Liga and are looking good in Europe once again.
Real Madrid still have the quality and pedigree to conquer Europe, beating Atalanta convincingly to reach their first Champions League quarter-final in three years. Cristiano Ronaldo may have departed, but a significant chunk of the players that helped Real Madrid win three successive Champions League titles is still around.
In recent months, the likes of Ramos, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos haven’t been at their best, but all of them rose to the occasion in the two legs against Atalanta.
It would be premature to tag Real Madrid as contenders for the Champions League this season. But their latest performance was a statement to their European rivals that Los Blancos mean business.
Atalanta win could revive Real Madrid’s season
After exiting the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid’s only chance of ending the season with silverware now lies in the La Liga and the Champions League.
While Los Blancos have fallen off the pace in the La Liga in recent weeks - they are six points adrift of league leaders Atletico Madrid - their victory against Atalanta could spark a revival. Interestingly, their arch-rivals Barcelona overturned a 2-0 first-leg loss against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey to revive their domestic fortunes, although they have been eliminated from Europe.
The season is far from over, but only the teams that remain consistent will stand a chance of winning a trophy. Real Madrid haven’t lost a game since January 30. but dropping points in a few draws has really hurt their quest to win the league.
Nevertheless, they can now build some momentum after a near-perfect performance against Atalanta in the Champions League and look to translate that form in the La Liga.
“We put in a great display. It was a strong all-round performance from start to finish. When you feel as if you put in a great performance, it makes you happy to have got through,” Zidane said after the game, as quoted by Realmadrid.com.
“We're into the quarter-finals, and things will get increasingly more difficult. We now have to rest up well because we've now got Saturday's game, and that's just the way it goes,” Zidane further said.
Real Madrid have needed such a performance for a while. It could be one that revives their domestic hopes and spur them on to a more consistent run.