Also full of injuries, Liverpool suffered four consecutive defeats.

No matter how the outside world had mixed reviews of Zidane before, this time the praise did blow on Zidane.

In the 24th round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid lost, Barcelona drawn, and Real Madrid won.

With one game in hand, Real Madrid is only three points behind Atletico Madrid at the top of the table and one point behind Barcelona in second place.

In other words, in the make-up match a week later, as long as Real Madrid defeats the opponent, it will be able to overtake the standings and reach the top smoothly.

Even if it is a draw, it can surpass Barcelona and jump to second in the standings.

Good luck began to behave on Real Madrid.

Visiting Bergamo in Lombardy, the Real Madrid players were very relaxed.

But the team's injuries are still the top concern that plagues Zidane.

In the entire backline, only Raphael Varane was the original starter.

Up front, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale continued to be absent, with Rossi once again leading the way.

A draw is Real Madrid's goal in the first leg of the Champions League 1/8 finals.

Like other Serie A teams, Atalanta are known for their solid defence and finished second in the group stage ahead of Ajax.

As a close confidant of the French gang, Varane, as the captain of Real Madrid, led the Real Madrid crowd to the turf of the Blue Arena in Italy, to the cheers of more than 20,000 fans.

As a traditional team in Serie A, Atalanta is most criticized by fans for its frequent hovering between Serie A and Serie B, and is a famous "lift".

In the past two years, Atalanta, under the leadership of veteran coach Gasperini, has been stable at the top of Serie A.

In the 1/8 finals of the Champions League last season, he defeated Valencia 8:4 in two legs and advanced to the quarterfinals, which can be called the super dark horse of the Champions League that season.

The team's midfielder Ilicic not only became the oldest player to score a hat-trick away from home in the history of the Champions League, but he was also the first player in the history of the Champions League to score a quadruple away from home in the knockout round.

That alone is something that Rossi can't do.

The goal duel between the two has also become the focus of attention in this game.

At the beginning of the game, Atalanta, who was playing at home, was not in a hurry to attack, but first stabilized the rhythm of the game and consumed Real Madrid with defense.

At this point, the old coach Gasperini's self-awareness is still relatively clear.

After all, those who dare to fight against Real Madrid have to see if their heads are hard enough.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, continued the tactics of the last La Liga game, slowing down the pace of possession and avoiding direct conflict with the opponent in the way of "playing Tai Chi".

Now that Real Madrid's hospital rooms are overcrowded, Zidane doesn't want any injuries in this away game.

I can't afford to hurt.

Atalanta lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with three tall and slow centre-backs at the back.

On Real Madrid's side, Ramos and Benzema's absence due to injury makes only Varane a reliable point in the fight for the high point, which is slightly insufficient.

Ditching the bottom cross, Real Madrid could only play on the ground to find opportunities.

In the 5th minute, Real Madrid's left-back Mendy penetrated the opponent's ribs after colliding with Rossi, which immediately made the home fans exclaim.

Atalanta only focused on defending Rossi, and also sent people to guard Vinicius on the wing, but ignored the full-back Mendy who stepped forward to attack.

This is a hard demand from Zidane to Mendy before the game.

The biggest disadvantage of the opponent's three-center-back system is that the defensive coverage area is not enough, and you only need to pass through transfer to see the gaps in the defensive line.

Mendy's forward insertion is to attack this space.

Under the cover of Rossi, Mendy, who instantly entered the core area of the opponent, was knocked to the ground by the central defenders who rushed to defend.

Yellow card + free kick.

Real Madrid tore apart Atalanta's defence with just one change and forced their opponents to press forward easily in the ensuing game time.

Rossi's free-kick made a galloping arc towards the top left corner of the goal.

While!

Atala goalkeeper Golini, who was standing in place, watched the ball hit the crossbar and pop off the bottom line, and suddenly gasped and got goosebumps all over his body.

"lucky!"

Realizing it later, he walked to the bottom line with palpitations and reached out to the caddie to ask for the ball.

After knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger, let the opponent be more cautious in the next game.

After tasting the sweetness, Real Madrid's attack began to attack the opponent's ribs.

Whether it's Nacho, Vinicius or Modric, they can easily get the ball on the flanks.

However, Atalanta have defended well and blocked all shot angles, and Real Madrid can only create a killing chance by passing the ball.

However, the high ball was invariably cleared by the opponent's central defender, and the long-range shots of the outflanked teammates were also blocked or high over the crossbar.

Throughout the game, Real Madrid had many chances to score in attack, but they were all stubbornly defused by their opponents.

Atalanta, on the other hand, had fewer shots than Real Madrid, but there was no shortage of good combinations.

Tall Ilicic, with excellent technique at his feet, likes to get rid of his defense and create killing chances.

At the same time, his short passes are also very accurate, and can connect the attack in the front court.

The 25th minute was his best moment in the first half.

He received the ball on the right side of the back, first fended off Mendy's body from the back, and then passed the ball under Modric's crotch to complete a brilliant backcourt catch-and-turn turn.

That wasn't the end of the story, he continued to break forward with the ball, and after passing Kroos and Nacho in succession, he distributed the ball to the wing.

Although his teammate's shot was saved by Courtois bravely in the end, Ilicic's performance made the Real Madrid players a little jealous.

This is simply a tall and skinny version of Messi.

After completing the senior in the Champions League 1/8 finals last season, the Italian media gave Ilicic the most perfect interpretation.

Dribbling, technique, speed, passing, long-range shooting, Ilicic has the potential to become one of the world's top stars.

Unfortunately, he is over 30 years old and is in the middle of Serie A, which makes his future upside very narrow.

Age is the most realistic thing in front of professional athletes.

So, why is it said that it is necessary to become famous early.

Late bloomers are certainly admired, but the career highlight period is too short, which has become the biggest factor blocking them.

Ilicic's ceiling is, at most, Diego Milito during Inter's treble.

Or Rossi's former team-mate, Jamie Vardy, who only played in the top flight at the age of 30.

In the second half of the first half, Atalanta's offense and defense were completely disjointed.

When defending, the three midfielders will settle in time to form a tall and solid backline.

With four midfielders, three usually come back to defend.

Once the transition from defense to offense, it's up to Ilicic to use his individual ability to advance with the ball or deliver subtle assists.

This disconnect allows Real Madrid to gain a lot of space in the middle.

It's absolutely fatal.

In the last minute of first-half stoppage time, Real Madrid had a chance to counter-attack, and Vinicius Jr. cut forward at high speed along the wing.

Atalanta's backline has been put in place, and the midfield line has retreated to the line of the penalty area.

There was no chance of a low cross, and Vinicius had to pass back to Modric.

Modric, who picked up the ball in the corner of the penalty area, had time and space to watch the defence and pass.

But the opposition penalty area was full of blue-clad players, and it was not a good cross opportunity at all.

Suddenly, he spotted Mendy near the top of the arc in the penalty area and passed it to him for a moment.

The Real Madrid left-back only adjusted one step after stopping the ball and pumped his right foot directly into the ball.

With a loose defence from outside the box, Mendy was able to shoot with his feet and choose the angle from which he could shoot.

The ball arced in a lethal arc past the goalkeeper and into the net.

This result was unexpected by everyone.

It was not the strikers of both sides who broke the goal drought, but Real Madrid's left-back Edouard Mendy.

【GOAL！！！！！ 】

[Curve ball world wave, Real Madrid took the next city first and won the away goal! ] 】

[Who would have thought that he was the one who scored the goal!] 】

[Not Rossi, Vinicius or Asensio!] 】

[Not Ilicic, Muriel or Duvan Zapata!] 】

[It's Flandre Mendy!] 】

[Please don't be surprised! 】

[It's not uncommon for defenders to score goals at Real Madrid!] 】

[Their central defender, when necessary, is a frontguard who destroys the city! 】

[Ramos, Varane, and now Mendy!] 】

[This is Real Madrid's backfield trident! ] 】