There's a famous quote from former England striker Gary Lineker about the nature of international football and Germany's proclivity for beating the Three Lions.
Forgive us, Gary, but we're going to adapt it. "Football is a simple game: 22 players chase a ball for 90 minutes, and in the end, Real Madrid win a European trophy."
On Wednesday, the European season saw its grand curtain-raiser in the form of the UEFA Super Cup. Real Madrid, the UEFA Champions League winners, faced Europa League holders Atalanta in Warsaw, Poland. Much like the final at Wembley Stadium between Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in June, it was a competitive, engaging game of football, in which the underdogs had one or two good chances and Madrid did not unilaterally impress, at least at first.
And, just like in that Champions League final, nobody really seemed to believe Madrid wouldn't win — including Kylian Mbappe.
Madrid's brand new Galactico made his debut for his new club, having finalised his free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in July. He started at the spearhead of the attack. Of course he did. Of course his every touch was cheered for the first 20 minutes. Of course he scored. Of course they won 2-0 and a record sixth UEFA Super Cup.
Federico Valverde tapped in a cross from the effervescent Vinicius Junior to put Madrid ahead in the second half, after Thibaut Courtois had made his customary outstanding save to deny the hopefuls just when it seemed like Los Blancos had blinked. Jude Bellingham got the ball from Ferland Mendy, looked up, passed; Vinicius tore past Berat Djimsiti with astonishing speed, like Road Runner fleeing an Acme Brazilian-Swatter. He sat down Isak Hien and handed the goal to Valverde on a plate.
Mbappe wouldn't be outdone. The France star's first-time finish high into the net came after Bellingham, outstanding in a deeper role than he enjoyed last season, pointed to where he wanted his new teammate to move before picking him out with an impudent pass. Vinicius chased him, copying the celebration, his face split in a grin. Boy, did they enjoy this.
And so they should. This was kids-on-the-playground stuff, inevitability in football form, Galacticos with conviction. It's what Real Madrid do. The question is who is going to stop them.
MORE: Vinicius Jr in talks over staggering 'possible €1bn deal'
Real Madrid vs. Atalanta final score
| Fulltime | Goalscorers | |
| Real Madrid | 2 | Valverde 59', Mbappe 68' |
| Atalanta | 0 |
Confirmed lineups:
Real Madrid (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Thibaut Courtois (GK) — 2. Dani Carvajal (17. Lucas Vazquez), 3. Eder Militao, 22. Antonio Rudiger, 23. Ferland Mendy — 8. Federico Valverde, 14. Aurelien Tchouameni, 5. Jude Bellingham (19. Dani Ceballos) — 11. Rodrygo (10. Luka Modric), 9. Kylian Mbappe (21. Brahim Diaz), 7. Vinicius Junior (15. Arda Guler).
Atalanta (3-4-1-2 right to left): 1. Juan Musso (GK) — 19. Berat Djimsiti, 4. Isak Hien (27. Marco Palestra), 23. Sead Kolasinac (20. Mitchel Bakker) — 77. Davide Zappacosta (5. Ben Godfrey), 15. Marten de Roon, 13. Ederson, 22. Matteo Ruggeri — 8. Mario Pasalic (44. Alberto Mazoni) — 17. Charles De Ketelaere (32. Mateo Retegui), 11. Ademola Lookman.
MORE: How good is Kylian Mbappe and why exactly did Real Madrid sign him?
Real Madrid vs. Atalanta stats
| Real Madrid | Stat | Atalanta |
| 13 | Shots | 7 |
| 6 | Shots on target | 2 |
| 52% | Possession | 48% |
| 548 | Passes | 503 |
| 5 | Corners | 2 |
| 12 | Fouls | 19 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 0 | Offsides | 1 |
Real Madrid vs. Atalanta live updates, highlights, and commentary
Fulltime: Real Madrid 2-0 Atalanta
It's all over, and Real Madrid have won the UEFA Super Cup for a record sixth time! It's been a dream debut for Mbappe, but Bellingham, Vinicius, Valverde and others were all hugely impressive. Madrid have thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the continent.
90 mins: We'll have two minutes of added time here.
83 mins: Mbappe heads off to a standing ovation. Real Madrid's latest Galactico is off and running.
79 mins: A little bit of afters as Dani Carvajal objects to a late tackle from Lookman. The referee diffuses things quickly. Madrid are more or less going through the motions now.
75 mins: Ben Godfrey with a chance! Wouldn't that have been a surprise! He gets across Mendy and just prods the ball goalwards, beyond Courtois, but Militao is covering.
68 mins: GOAL! MBAPPE GETS HIS DEBUT GOAL! Hien, who's been brilliant, has a horrible moment as he loses the ball to Rodrygo 30 yards from goal. He finds Vinicius, whose cross to Mbappe is too strong. Bellingham collects the ball, tells Mbappe where to go, and threads the pass through two defenders. Mbappe then picks out the top corner with the side of his foot.
66 mins: AND AGAIN! Bellingham spins into the area and blasts a shot towards the near post, which Musso blocks. He's keeping Atalanta in this contest.
62 mins: MUSSO AGAIN! From the corner, the ball drops to Bellingham, whose shot is blocked by Hien. The ball loops up and seems destined to go in, but Russo somehow keeps it out on the stretch.
61 mins: VINICIUS SHOULD SCORE! The Brazilian races through on goal but tries to lift his finish high past Musso, who sticks up a hand and makes a brilliant save.
59 mins: GOAL! REAL MADRID LEAD! It's a simple but beautiful move, finished by Valverde. Bellingham passes to Vinicius, who leaves Berat Djimsiti for dead with a stunning turn of pace. He squares the ball for Valverde to tap home from practically on the goal line.
Watch in USA:
58 mins: Lookman fashions space in the box but can't get away from Eder Militao, who defends his goal well. That came from a quick Atalanta break after Madrid's midfield was caught high up the pitch. There are a few spaces opening up.
53 mins: Madrid are applying the pressure early in this half, but they can't seem to fashion a chance. Mbappe looks keen but not quite in sync with the team.
47 mins: What a save, Thibaut Courtois! Mario Pasalic loops a header back across goal and Courtois somehow claws the ball away from the corner of the net. Brilliant stop.
Kickoff: Second half
No changes here.
Halftime: Real Madrid 0-0 Atalanta
That's that for the first half. It's been a good, competitive game. More of this, please!
45 + 1 mins: OFF THE BAR! Vinicius prods a really clever pass through to Rodrygo with the outside of his weaker left foot. His compatriot is off balance as he strikes, and he gets under the ball, sending it crashing off the top of the crossbar and away. That's the closest we've come to a goal.
44 mins: The game has hit a bit of a stalemate these past few minutes, although Lookman forces a corner just now with a shot that deflects behind. The Nigerian's delivery is an easy catch for Courtois.
35 mins: Bellingham goes into the book after a heavy challenge on goalkeeper Juan Musso. The England man had controlled Vinicius' clever chip on his chest but was stretching to reach the ball. He was justified in trying to get there, but it was potentially a dangerous tackle. A yellow card feels right.
33 mins: Rudiger rescues Madrid! Tchouameni is careless in midfield and gives the ball away to Atalanta, who spring a counter through Lookman. Rudiger is alert to cover the danger, though.
30 mins: Hien has looked very good in this first half. After earlier making a charge towards the Madrid penalty area, he shows great speed and awareness to cut out a promising Valverde throughball to Mbappe.
24 mins: Bellingham launches a counter-attack with a pass to Mbappe, who turns, falls over, gets back up, does a stepover, and leaves Isak Hien for dead. He then exchanges passes with Vinicus and tries to take on two players, only to leave the ball behind him. Quite the minute, there.
16 mins: Chance for Mbappe! Great run from Valverde into the box, he cuts it back for the striker, but his first-time shot is well blocked. Moments later, Bellingham sprints clear down the left onto Vinicius' ball over the top, but his cross to Mbappe doesn't have enough legs.
12 mins: Stoppage in play here as Zappacosta is treated for a strange injury. He seemed to hurt his head after slipping on the pitch. He's back up and running with a hair net on.
8 mins: Good chance for Atalanta! Davide Zappacosta gets in behind Ferland Mendy and Valverde and has loads of time and space in the box, but the referee signals a foul in the six-yard box against Lookman amid some shirt-pulling goings-on. Madrid got away with one there.
4 mins: Good early pressure from Madrid and a few nice touches from Mbappe, but no way through the Atalanta defence yet.
Kickoff: First half
Here we go!
15 mins before kickoff: Thibaut Courtois missed almost all of last season after an ACL tear, although he was back for the last few weeks and played in the Champions League final. Having not played for Belgium at Euro 2024, he looks poised for the new season.
40 mins before kickoff: It'll be fascinating to see how Madrid line up. We've got the formation as a 4-3-3, with Bellingham slotting in alongside Valverde and Tchouameni, but it could look more like a 4-2-3-1 with the England star as a No. 10. Either way, Atalanta have a real job on their hands to come away with this trophy.
Not that this should faze them, of course. They have established themselves as arguably Europe's best pound-for-pound team, going toe-to-toe with the wealthiest and most successful clubs in the world in recent seasons. One man to watch out for tonight is Ademola Lookman, the hat-trick hero of the Europa League final.
1 hour 3 mins before kickoff: Today's venue is Warsaw's National Stadium, named after Kazimierz Gorski, the man who led Poland to third at the 1974 FIFA World Cup and delivered gold and silver medals at the Olympic Games. It was also one of the venues for Euro 2012, including the semifinal between Germany and Italy in which Mario Balotelli scored twice.
1 hour 40 mins before kickoff: In true Real Madrid fashion, the team news has been announced WAY before the one-hour cut-off. And, critically, Kylian Mbappe starts. It looks like he will spearhead an attack flanked by Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. Jude Bellingham is set for a deeper midfield role.
2 hours before kickoff: Here we go, then: major European football is well and truly back in 2024. It's Real Madrid, kings of the continent, against Europa League champions Atalanta. It's Kylian Mbappe's prospective debut. It's a potential cracker.
Real Madrid vs. Atalanta kick off time
The 2024 UEFA Super Cup match kicks off in Warsaw, Poland at 9 p.m. local time.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Weds, Aug. 14 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Weds, Aug. 14 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | Weds, Aug. 14 | 8:00 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Thurs, Aug. 15 | 5:00 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Thurs, Aug. 15 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
Real Madrid vs. Atalanta lineups, team news
Kylian Mbappe, fresh from his post-Euro 2024 vacation, is set to make his highly anticipated debut.
Carlo Ancelotti has chosen to field a near full-strength lineup, with Dani Carvajal returning to the fold. Midfield maestro Jude Bellingham starts alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, with Eduardo Camavinga injured in training yesterday.
David Alaba sidelined due to a long-term ACL injury, Real Madrid's defence will be tested.
Real Madrid XI (4-3-3, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy — Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham — Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior.
Real Madrid subs: Lunin, F. Gonzalez, Modric, Guler, Endrick, Vazquez, Vallejo, Ceballos, F. Garcia, Brahim Diaz, Ramon
Gian Piero Gasperini has overseen a squad overhaul, with several key departures and high-profile arrivals.
The likes of Hans Hateboer, Pierluigi Gollini, Duvan Zapata, and Aleksei Miranchuk have made way for a new-look attack featuring Charles De Ketelaere and Mateo Retegui, although the latter does not start this game. Neither do Ben Godfrey, Nicolo Zaniolo, or Ibrahim Sulemana, who were all recently signed.
The Bergamo side are also without the injured Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini, while the future of midfield maestro Teun Koopmeiners hangs in the balance amid interest from Premier League clubs. He's not involved here.
Atalanta XI (3-4-1-2, right to left): Musso (GK) — Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac — Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson Ruggeri — Pasalic — De Ketelaere, Lookman.
Atalanta subs: Carnesecchi, Rossi, Godfrey, Sulemana, Bakker, Cassa, Palestra, Retegui, Comi, Tornaghi, Manzoni, Vavassori
Real Madrid vs. Atalanta live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions:
United States:
- TV channel: CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, Univision
- Live stream: Fubo, Paramount+., TUDN.com, TUDN app, Univision NOW, Vix
This game is available for live TV broadcast on various channels like CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, and Univision. Streaming options include Paramount+.
New users to Paramount+ can currently sign up to a FREE seven-day trial.
Should the match be shown on CBS Sports Network, a live streaming option will be available on Fubo, who are also offering a FREE trial to new subscribers. Along with these, TUDN.com, TUDN app, Univision NOW, and Vix will also be offering a live streaming option.
Canada:
Live stream: DAZN, Fubo Canada
The UEFA Super Cup clash will be available live to stream on DAZN where new subscribers will get a FREE trial.
A live streaming option will be available on Fubo Canada, who are also offering a FREE trial to new subscribers.
Australia:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: Stan Sport
This game is not available for live TV broadcast. Streaming options are available on the Stan Sport app.
India:
- TV channel: Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 2 HD
- Live stream: Sony LIV
This game is available for live TV broadcast on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD for viewers residing in India. Streaming options are available on Sony LIV.
UK:
- TV channel: TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate
- Live stream: Discovery+
This game is available for live TV broadcast on TNT Sports Network. Streaming options are available on the Discovery+ app, which offers a FREE trial to new subscribers.