Real Madrid Beats Atalanta 3-2; Liverpool Wins Again

Real Madrid’s stars shined on Tuesday to restart the club’s Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham scored in a dramatic 3-2 win over league leader Atalanta.

Madrid still needed luck as Mateo Retegui missed a fantastic chance to equalize the score in stoppage time. Only Madrid’s third win in the new league phase puts the 15-time champion in 18th place for the unseeded playoffs.

“A crucial win. Not everyone wins. We competed and suffered. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says Champions League participants must suffer. We have two games to win points, but finishing in the top eight is still challenging.

Six-time champion Liverpool leads after beating Girona 1-0 to maintain its flawless European record. Paris Saint-Germain, like Madrid, won 3-0 against Salzburg to get into the playoffs in 24th place.

After beating Inter Milan 1-0, Bayer Leverkusen is second and Aston Villa is third after beating Leipzig 3-2. The top eight teams advance to the 16th round. Nine to 24 must play a playoff to advance.