Atalanta – Real Madrid: Champions League round of 16 – live! | Football

53 min: No blocking or clearance this time: just a terrible foul from Vinicius Junior, who went over the crossbar from seven meters after being hit by a cross from the left.

52 min: Real has settled in the third of the field closest to Atalanta’s goal. But the hosts are diligently defending, blocking and punting every time Real go for the killer pass.

50 min: Atalanta breaks a Real play and gives Muriel the opportunity to lead a counterattack. But the striker is alone and cannot fight his way between three defenders.

47 min: He works very patiently his way forward and into the box, where Modric tries to double down a shot in the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot. He takes a blow off a defender and drifts inches wide.

The hosts have managed quite well since Freuler’s expulsion in the 18th minute, but the tension started to kick in towards the end of that half as Real created some clearer chances. You imagine Atalanta will have to do a lot on defense in the second period as well, but you can also be sure that they will continue to look for opportunities to counter.

45 + 1 min: More deceptions by Vinicius Junior brings another lack of Toloi. Kroos throws a free kick from the left wing and Casemiro hits it with his header, forcing an excellent reflex save from Golini!

44 min: Asensio hit on a splendid cross from the right, but Isco can’t touch it. And he was off the game, anyway.

41 min: Muriel serves as a reminder that the hosts will still attack when they can – take a shot wide from 20 yards.

40 min: The Atalanta goalkeeper has to make his first stop of the match and it is comfortable, Golini only needs to open his hands to catch Asensio’s soft header.

39 min: Vinicius Junior’s shot from 16 meters is deflected over the crossbar after another fluid play by Real. They are getting closer.

38 min: Modric has a blast from 25 yards, but the ball is deflected a few feet wide.

37 min: Real pressure is increasing and Atalanta is being pushed deeper and deeper. But Real still struggles to choose a path. Isco gets closer, mind you, after circling two defenders in the area before his shot is deflected wide.

34 min: Modric tries to make a pass to Vinicus Junior from the half of the opposite field. It’s a clever idea, but the execution has to be flawless … and it just gives it an overdone touch.

33 min: Nacho launches into a sliding tackle on Maehle, winning the ball and hitting the man in the follow-up. The referee awards a free throw but decides not to search for another card.

30 minutes: Another blow for Atalanta: they have to replace Zapata, who seems to have suffered a muscle injury. Pasalic enters his place.

27 min: Atalanta hasn’t let narrowing down to 10 players destroy his ambition. They keep moving forward whenever they get the chance. But so far neither side has been able to take a shot on goal.

25 min: Most of Real’s most dangerous attacks have come from the left, particularly through Mendy. But this time it’s Nacho who embarks on a unit on that flank … and continues to the area area before firing a high and wide shot! Lovely game! Until the last bite.

23 min: The referee took out his card again, this time for Casemiro, who charges a yellow for knocking down Zapata near the middle. Casemiro holds his head in his hands, probably because he knows that the hat means that he will be suspended for the second leg.

20 minutes: Many referees would have considered that a yellow card was sufficient punishment for Freuler, but Stieler considered that it was a flagrant case of denying a scoring opportunity and sent him off without hesitation. If it were up to me, I would have given a penalty (even outside the area). I bet Real would have preferred that too, as they hit the free kick against the wall.

18 min: Atalanta players surround the referee to protest after he immediately expels Freuler for knocking down Vinicius Junior just outside the box after the striker got the end of an excellent play from Real.

15 minutes: After the Atalanta goalkeeper leaves his area to clear the ball with the helmet, and catch Vinicius Junior in the thigh in the follow-up, Atalanta lunges forward and wins a corner. But it is another bad delivery.

12 min: Real has taken some control over the game, though without threatening a breakthrough yet.

10 minutes: Here you have a chance. Vinicius Junior lures Toloi to a foul just outside the left corner of the Atalanta area. Kross walks over to take it. He rolls it onto the back pole, but heads to safety.

8 min: Real got off to a bit of an uneven start, but have held possession very well in the last two minutes as they try to calm down and find a rhythm. However, there are still no signs that they can penetrate.

6 min: A beautiful fluid movement from Atalanta really stretches Real, but a Zapata cross from the left is deflected.

4 min: A Casemiro foul on Maehle gives Muriel a chance to send a free kick from outside the right. It’s a poor delivery, allowing Kroos to clear well.

2 minutes: Vinicius Jnr runs to the channel on the right to collect a pass from Isco. But when he sends a cross to the center, there is no one to take advantage.

The kick-off is preceded by a minute’s silence in tribute to Willy Ta Bi, the Atalanta player who died of cancer on Tuesday at age 21.

Teams march onto the field, surrounded by barren stands. Visitors are dressed in his famous white t-shirt, while Atalanta sports black and blue stripes with black shorts and socks.

Since beating Loris Karius’ Liverpool in the 2018 final, Real Madrid have not made it past the knockout stages of this tournament, losing to Ajax at this stage in 2019 and Manchester City last year.

With Real without a large number of injured players, their bench looks decidedly youthful and their starting lineup is lacking in some key players. Many of these players will be back for the second leg, so today’s is an opportunity for Atalanta to take advantage while Real are relatively weak.

Atalanta: Golini; Toloi, Romero, Djimisti; Maehle, de Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Pessina; Muriel, Zapata

Subs: Pasalic, Ilicic, Mranchuk, Sportiello, Ruggeri, Rossi, Malinovsky, Caldara, Palomino, Sutalo

True: Courtois; Vázquez, Varane, Nacho, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bait; Asensio, Vinicius Junior

Subs: Diaz, Lunin, Arribas, Suarez, Victor, Blanco, Duro, Gutierrez

Referee: T Stieler (Germany)

Hello. Until last season, Atalanta had never been in the top European competition, but now they are in the round of 16 for the second year in a row, against none other than the most decorated club on the continent. Real Madrid didn’t look quite as stylish when they ruined their start to the group stage this season, but they rebounded to get here and have been in decent form recently domestically. But Spain is not the powerhouse it once was if recent humiliations from Barcelona, ​​Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad are anything to go by, so this could be seen as an opportunity for intrepid attackers at Atalanta to clinch a famous victory. In a season in which they have already reached the final of the Italian Cup and are fifth in Serie A. Of course, Real beat Serie A leaders Internazionale twice in the group stage, and Atalanta tended to be better off outside than at home. In short, this is at stake.