Kylian Mbappe could not have anticipated a better start to his Real Madrid career as he scored a debut goal to help his new team win the European Super Cup on Wednesday.

Mbappe fired the ball into the top corner from Jude Bellingham’s pass to double Real’s lead in a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

“Before the game, we didn’t even talk about (whether he would score), we just expected it to happen,” man-of-the match Bellingham told reporters.

“It’s a kind of player who writes his own history… Time and time again, he delivers for his team and he did it again tonight.”

Mbappe, who scored 44 goals for Paris St Germain last season, clinched his first European trophy after winning seven Ligue 1 titles with PSG and Monaco.

He previously came closest to European glory in 2019-20, when PSG finished Champions League runners-up after losing the final 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

“Mbappe did really well, he adapted really well to the team” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said.

“He combined well with Vinicius Junior and with Bellingham. Of course, we have a lot of quality, but we have to play together and we did that tonight.”

After joyfully posing with his first continental silverware, Mbappe appeared overwhelmed by emotion.

“It was a great night. It’s a great moment for me. And we won a title, which is important – at Madrid you always have to win,” he said.

“I am very happy. And with the goal too – it is important for a striker like me. But the most important thing has been to have the pleasure of playing with this team.”

Mbappe also helped Ancelotti become the coach who has brought the most major trophies to Real Madrid, the Italian levelling the tally of 14 by Miguel Munoz who managed the Spanish giants from 1948-58.

-Reuters

Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, a prospective candidate for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year Award has told UEFA.com that Wednesday’s UEFA Cup clash of Atlanta and Real Madrid will be an hectic battle.

 In a video posted on uefa website, Lookman whose three goals in the Europa Cup final earned Atlanta the title declared that he was ready for another titanic battle this night. 

“Another occasion, another final for us. We’re really excited to be here”, he said prompting his interviewer to point out that the battle at hand is against, Real Madrid, “the most successful team in Europe.” 

“Yeah. Yeah”, responded Lookman. “The top side with top players, and, yeah, not a very strong team. Yeah. But we’re looking forward to to the battle …because, yeah, it’s gonna have to be a battle.

“I think, going into the game with the same mindset that we’ve we’ve had and that we always have, to work hard together, to cover each other’s back, and, you know, to to to fight for each other and to also show our quality in the right moments, because we have quality.” 

His interviewer then asked: “It could be Lookman against Mbappe. How do you how do you feel it?”

Lookman responded saying, “Oh, I don’t think it’s I don’t think it’s like that. I think, yeah,  a lot of players on the on the pitch have a lot of quality. Yeah. Big names on the pitch. Yeah.

“Just well, I’m looking forward to  just going out there and working hard and, you know, show show show.”

The stakes will be high for Europa League winners Atalanta when they face the Spanish giants Real Madrid in the Super Cup on Wednesday but coach Gian Piero Gasperini believes they can pull off another surprise.

Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in May, ending the German champions’ remarkable unbeaten streak, and will be up against European champions Real who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to lift their record-extending 15th Champions League trophy.

“On paper we’re even more of an underdog than we were against Leverkusen, who were coming into the (final) game unbeaten in an entire season,” Gasperini told a press conference on Tuesday.

“Real Madrid will be an even greater hurdle but that means we’re even more motivated. It doesn’t happen often but you can overturn the odds in football.”

Atalanta will, however, face an extra challenge in Warsaw as they have travelled without injured striker Gianluca Scamacca.

The Italy forward, who scored six goals in their winning Europa League campaign, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season friendly defeat by Parma (4-1) on Aug. 4 and could be out of action for at least six months.

They will also be without Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners who Italian media reports said is nearing a move to rivals Juventus.

“It’s clear that you’d like to go into such a game with a full squad and play your best players to get to the top of your game,” Gasperini said.

“But even when we went to Liverpool or other (top) teams, and we often found ourselves with some difficulties, I always asked the guys to play a good game, without thinking of who’s there or who’s not there.”

Winger Ademola Lookman said Atalanta should not be underestimated.

“We can’t wait to get on the pitch. Not just me, but the whole team can’t wait to play this match,” Lookman said.

“We deserve to be here. Our hard work and perseverance has brought us here and tomorrow is another night to show that.”

Lookman’s hat-trick sealed the Europa League for Atalanta, their second major trophy after they won the Italian top flight in the 1962–63 season.

-Reuters