Jude Bellingham on Mbappé | Video: Michal Muzikant
It was still possible to buy tickets for Kylian Mbappé’s first sharp match for Real Madrid on Monday. For Czech fans, it is also relatively within driving distance. The white ballet in the UEFA Super Cup, he played against Atalanta Bergamo in Warsaw, Poland at the National Stadium, where the Polish national team plays home matches.
Czech fans would prefer to welcome Bayer Leverkusen with Czechs Patrik Schick and Matěj Kovář as opponents of Real, but the German team lost to Atalanta in the Europa League final.
It is less than four hundred kilometers from the Czech border to Warsaw. In addition, you drive the whole way on the free highway, on which you charge 140 per hour, so the trip takes less than three and a half hours (if you do not count the hour-long “suck” around Warsaw and looking for a parking place). So I got into the car myself and set off to see the reigning Champions League winners, a star-studded team and listen to coach Ancelotti. From Uničov in five and a half hours (plus a two-hour break for swimming across the border in the town of Olza – I recommend it).
The price of the tickets wasn’t too high either. The cheapest seats were available for 30 euros (756 crowns), second category for 80 euros (2016 crowns), first class for 130 euros (3276 crowns) and premium seats for 350 euros (8820 crowns).
Slow start
The stadium was completely filled and more than three quarters of the seats belonged to whites. Name tags of Mbappé (also in PSG colors) or Bellingham were already visible. But still also Kroos or Ronaldo. Two spectators even came in the jersey of rival Barcelona… Strange. According to their name tags on their backs, many fans were from Poland. However, the Italian fans chanted more, who occupied the lower ring behind one gate and were visibly in the minority.
close info Source: Deník/Michal Muzikant zoom_in Super Cup Real Madrid – Atalanta Bergamo in Warsaw. Fans in Barcelona jersey
The first half seemed like Real’s stars were warming up and Bergamo was angry. Mbappé, Bellingham and Vinicius played on the double. However, the Frenchman’s change of direction and jamming in particular looks incredibly fast live. However, halfway through I thought I was expecting more.
“Kylian is incredible. I already knew he was fantastic, but now that I get to play with him? I see his speed, quality and how hard he works for the team,” he said to his teammate English representative Bellingham.
Jude Bellingham on Mbappé | Video: Michal Muzikant
“We didn’t play well in the first half, we improved in the second half. Even Mbappé’s performance was not spectacular,” acknowledged coach Ancelotti.
But everything changed with the second half and a great save by goalkeeper Courtois. It’s hard to say whether coach Ancelotti said something to his charges in the cabin, but they turned on.
The new Kroos and the iconic celebration
There was real quality on display in both combos and one-on-ones. That is, rather one to two or three. The players of the Spanish team felt even better after the leading goal, which Vinicius served to Valverde. He took over the number eight from Toni Kroos and was among the best on the pitch. It’s a shame though German player who ended his careerno longer gives joy on the lawn.
After that, the Englishman Bellingham was mainly seen, he did not lose the ball and got out of everything. It was clear that both the players and the fans wanted Mbappé’s first strike. Vinicius passed in a situation where he would normally shoot, but Mbappé did not reach. However, Bellingham completed the action and found Real’s summer reinforcement with a hidden pass after a good rebound, and the spectators were treated to Kylian’s iconic celebration after the prompt cleanup. The stadium celebrated.
“We didn’t talk before the game about him scoring or me passing him. Rather, we kind of expected it, because he is a great player who writes history. I believe that I will pass him for more goals and we will go for more trophies,” Jude Bellingham, who became the player of the match, said at the post-match press conference.
“Mbappé played well. Of course we are very strong, but we have to be able to work together, which we did,” Italian strategist Carlo Ancelotti smiled.
Big applause (perhaps the biggest) was then collected by Luka Modrič, who got on the pitch as a substitute player and showed how brilliant and calm he is on the ball during the quarter of an hour he got.
Real Madrid thus celebrated another trophy in Poland, when they dominated the fight between the Champions League winner and the Europa League winner.
