Atalanta v Real Madrid: Champions League last 16 – live! – The Guardian

After a match disfigured by the early red card for Remo Freuler, Real Madrid snuck a first-leg lead thanks to a magnificent late goal by Ferland Mendy. The visitors were mediocre for long periods and seldom threatened to breach Atalanta’s determined defence but Mendy’s sweet shot from distance has put them in a strong position to progress, especially with several injured players likely to return for the second leg in three weeks times. But Atalanta have tended to be stronger on their travels and, with 11 men, can’t be ruled out just yet.

90 min: Real aim for a second goal that would almost kill the tie. But Gosens make a couple of heroic blocks to prevent Duro from getting off a clear shot from close range.

Real pull a corner back to Modric, who rolls it to Mendy about 25 yards from goal. The French full-back takes a touch to tee himself up for a shot and then wraps his right foot around the ball and curls a sumptuous effort beyond the goalkeeper and into the corner. Real needed something special to break through the hosts’ valiant defence, and Mendy has produced it.

85 min: Kross feeds Vazques, who fires over a decent cross from near the right-hand corner flag. But, as ever, an Atalanta head get to it first.

82 min: Casemiro goes down in the box after feeling the hands of a defender on his back. The ref runs over to the Spaniard, who immediately holds up his hands, fearing a booking for simulation – which would lead to a red card, since he already got a yellow in the first half. The ref decides a stern lecture is punishment enough this time. To be considered as a final warning, no doubt.

79 min: Real continue to look achingly one-dimensional. They can’t get behind or through the defence of Atalanta, who’ve kept them at bay admirably well so far.

77 min: Real subs: Arribas and Duro on, Asensio and Isco off.

73 min: Now Vazues gives Atalanta a freekick in a useful position. It’s curled into the box from the left wing and Mendy has to put it out for a throw on the far side. Atalanta aim to make the most of a rare venture into the Real half.

71 min: A moment of rashness by Gosens, who jumps into a late tackle on Vazquez. That earns him a yellow card and gives Real a freekick in a useful position: about 27 yards out, a little to the right of the D. Asensio curls it over the wall but it’s easily claimed by the keeper.

68 min: Real seem to be running low on ideas, and Atalanta’s confidence is growing. A 0-0 would probably be a decent result for them with 10 men, as they’ll fancy their chances of scoring an away goal or two in the second leg even if Real have some of their injured players.

66 min: Isco tries to skip behind the home defence to the byline. But the defenders are wise to him and force him to run the ball out of play. So far there’s been next to no sparkle from Isco today.

64 min: Casemiro lays the ball back to Modric at the edge of the area. The Croat stabs the ball several yards over. There’s been a real lack of sharpness from Real where it matters most.

61 min: Atalanta make it into the Real half! And they even win a throw-in. But they fail to even run down the clock much, as they chuck possession straight back to Real.

58 min: Kross lets fly from 25 yards, but his shots is deflected just over the bar

56 min: Atalanta sub: Ilicic on, Muriel off. The lone striker role isn’t going to be much fun for the new man, with his side depleted and dominated.

55 min: Mendy booked for clattering into De Roon after losing possession of the ball.

53 min: No block or clearance this time: just a terrible miss from Vinicius Junior, who flicked over the bar from seven yards after a cross from the left found its way to him.

52 min: Real have taken up residence in the third of the pitch nearest Atalanta’s goal. But the hosts are defending diligently, making blocks and clearances whenever Real go for the killer pass.

50 min: Atalanta break up a Real move and give Muriel a chance to lead a counter-attack. But the striker is all on his own and can’t weave a way through three defenders.

47 min: Real patiently work their way forward and into the box, where Modric tries to bend a shot in the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot. It takes a nick off a defender and drifts inches wide.

The hosts have coped pretty well since Freuler’s sending off in the 18th minute but the strain started to tell towards the end of that half, as Real created a few clearer chances. You fancy Atalanta will have to do a heck of a lot defending in the second period, too, but you can also be sure that they will continue to seek opportunities to counter-attack.

45+1 min: More trickery by Vinicius Junior brings another foul from Toloi. Kroos curls in the freekick from the left wing and Casemiro flicks it on with his header, forcing an excellent reflex save from Golini!

44 min: Asensio’s swing over a splendid cross from the right, but Isco fails to get a touch to it. And he was offside, anyway.

41 min: Muriel serves a reminder that the hosts will still attack when they can: he drills a shot just wide from 20 yards.

40 min: The Atalanta keeper has to make his first save of the match and it’s a comfortable one, Golini needing only to open his hands to catch Asensio’s gentle header.

39 min: Vinicius Junior’s shot from 16 yards is deflected over the bar after another flowing move by Real. They’re getting closer.

38 min: Modric has a bang from 25 yards but the ball swerves a few yards wide.

37 min: The pressure from Real is building, and Atalanta are being pushed deeper and deeper. But still Real struggle to pick a way through. Isco goes close, mind you, after wriggling around two defenders in the box before his shot is deflected wide.

34 min: Modric tries to prod a pass through to Vinicus Junior from mid-way inside the opposing half. It’s an artful idea but the execution has to be perfect … and he overhits it a touch.

33 min: Nacho launches himself into a sliding tackle on Maehle, winning the ball and clobbering the man on the follow-through. The ref awards a freekick but decides against reaching for another card.

30 min: Another blow to Atalanta: they have to replace Zapata, who appears to have suffered a muscle injury. Pasalic enters in his place.

27 min: Atalanta haven’t let being reduced to 10 players destroy their ambition. They’re still buzzing forward whenever they get the chance. But so far neither side has been able to muster a shot on target.

25 min: Most of Real’s most dangerous attacks have come down the left, particularly through Mendy. But this time it’s Nacho who embarks on a drive down that flank … and he carries on all the way into the box before booming a shot high and wide! Lovely play! Until the last bit.

23 min: The ref’s got his card out again, this time for Casemiro, who cops a yellow for pulling down Zapata near half-way. Casemiro holds his heads in his hands, probably because he knows hat means he’ll be suspended for the second leg.

20 min: Lots of referees would have deemed a yellow card sufficient punishment for Freuler, but Mr Stieler reckoned it was a blatant case of denying a goalscoring opportunity and sent him off without hesitation. If it were up to me, I’d have given a penalty (even though it was outside the box). I’ll wager that Real would have preferred that, too, as they dab the freekick into the wall.

18 min: Atalanta players surround the ref to protest after he immediately sends off Freuler for taking down Vinicius Junior just outside the box after the striker got on the end of an excellent Real move.

15 min: After the Atalanta keeper charges out of his box to hoof the ball clear – and catch Vinicius Junior on the thigh on the follow-through – Atalanta hurtle forward and win a corner. But it’s another bad delivery.

12 min: Real have taken a bit of a grip on the game, albeit without threatening a breakthrough yet.

10 min: Here’s a chance. Vinicius Junior lures Toloi into a foul just outside the left-hand corner of the Atalanta box. Kross steps up to take it. He curls it towards the back stick, but it’s headed to safety.

8 min: Real made a slightly ragged start but they’ve kept possession nicely in the last two minutes as they try to settle themselves and find a rhythm. No sign of anything to penetration from them yet, though.

6 min: A lovely flowing move by Atalanta really stretches Real, but Zapata’s cross from the left veers wide.

4 min: A foul by Casemiro on Maehle gives Muriel an opportunity to send over a freekick from wide on the right. It’s a poor delivery, allowing Kroos to welly clear.

2 min: Vinicius Jnr scampers into the right-hand channel to collect a pass from Isco. But when he sends a cross into the centre, there is no one there to take advantage.

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

The teams march out on to the pitch, surrounded by barren stands. The visitors are dressed in their famous white kit, while Atalanta sport black and blue stripes with black shorts and socks.

Since beating Loris Karius’s Liverpool in the 2018 final, Real Madrid have failed to make it past the last 16 in this tournament, losing to Ajax at this stage in 2019 and Manchester City last year.

With Real missing a slew of players to injury, their bench has a decidedly youthful look and their starting lineup is missing some key players. Many of these players will be back for the second leg, so today’s one is a chance 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

Real: Courtois; Vazquez, Varane, Nacho, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco; 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 Europe’s top competition but now here they are in the last 16 for the second year in a row – against none other than the most decorated club on the continent. Real Madrid did not look so snazzy when they bungled their start to this season’s group stage but they recovered to make it this far and have been in decent recent form domestically. But Spain is not the powerhouse it once was if recent humblings for Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad are anything to go by, so this could be seen as opportunity for the intrepid attackers of Atalanta to record a famous victory in a season in which they have already reached the Italian cup final and stand fifth in Serie A. Mind you, Real beat the Serie A leaders – Internazionale – twice in the group stages, and Atalanta tended to be better away than at home. In short, this one’s up for grabs.