'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid progressed to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 win over Atalanta at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano. Goals from Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio ensured Los Blancos won 4-1 on aggregate.
Atalanta began the game on the front foot, looking the dominant side in the opening 15 minutes. Their pressing left Real Madrid with little room to breathe, but Los Blancos eventually settled.
Marco Sportiello undid all of La Dea's good work with a terrible clearance that went straight to Luka Modric. The Croatian squared the ball to Karim Benzema, who rolled the ball into the net to make it 1-0 in the 34th minute.
Trending
Vinicius Jr. had a great chance to make it 2-0 early in the second half, but he stabbed the ball wide after a stunning run. The Brazilian made amends soon after, winning a penalty which Sergio Ramos converted to double Real Madrid's lead.
Duvan Zapata and Karim Benzema came close for either side, with the Atalanta striker drawing a couple of excellent saves from Thibaut Courtois. Luis Muriel offered Atalanta a glimmer of hope in the 83rd minute, curling in a delicious free-kick.
Marco Asensio swiftly extinguished those hopes two minutes later, scoring at the near post from a narrow angle to make it 3-1 on the night.
On that note, here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 Karim Benzema is racking up the records
Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Italian shores, Karim Benzema has scored as many goals in the UEFA Champions League as the Portuguese superstar. The Frenchman is now only the fifth player in history to score 70 goals or more in Europe's premier competition.
For a player who has never been a favorite of Madridistas for much of his career, it's a stellar return. Benzema was superb tonight and it was no surprise to see him score in his 5th consecutive game.
Zinedine Zidane didn't require his penchant for late goals this time, but he can be safe in the knowledge that in Benzema, he has a player as dependable in tough moments as Ronaldo.
Maybe, just maybe, Karim Benzema will finally get his due.
#2 Gasperini comes unstuck against Real Madrid's quality
Atalanta's reputation as UEFA Champions League entertainers is well earned - 10 goals in 6 group stage games points to a side that aren't goal-shy. Yet over 180 minutes against a Real Madrid side that's been fairly vulnerable in defense all season, the only goal Gian Piero Gasperini's side scored came from a free-kick.
There were extenuating circumstances in the first leg, but overall Atalanta will have been disappointed not to have troubled Los Blancos much more. It's difficult to fault Gasperini too much - their tactics were the same that has brought them success.
The high press was the same, but Real Madrid's technical caliber was such that they simply played around it once they settled. The three-man defense nullified Atalanta's quick diagonals and wing play. It's a step up Atalanta will need to make if they ever are to win silverware in this Gasperini era.
#3 Zinedine Zidane's three-man defense finally comes good
Eyebrows were raised when Zinedine Zidane named his starting lineup, featuring a three-man defense yet again. The 3-5-2 formation also featured in the previous La Liga game against Elche, but looked distinctly pedestrian on that occasion.
However, it was clear that with Casemiro missing Zidane would need to offer his defense more protection and the formation worked a beauty. Sergio Ramos shrugged off his rusty performance against Elche to command his backline partners.
Raphael Varane and Nacho offered greater security to Lucas Vasquez and Ferland Mendy as the duo bombed forward. Fede Valverde's energy was crucial as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric weaved their pretty patterns to supply Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr.
Casemiro, normally so important to Madrid, was rarely missed, and Zidane can be proud of his side's tactical nous in an assured performance.
#4 Real Madrid's stalwarts shine
The naysayers of Cristiano Ronaldo's potential return to Real Madrid all point to his age as a negative factor, but tonight's performance served as the perfect evidence for Florentino Perez getting the band back together.
Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric were fantastic, with the Croatian turning in a man-of-the-match performance in midfield. It was his pressing, touch and composure that created the opener, and he offered plenty to nullify Atalanta's threat in the middle of the park as well.
Sergio Ramos showed exactly why Florentino Perez ought to loosen the purse-strings and pay his captain what he wants. Not only was Ramos rock-solid in defense, he notched up his 15th UEFA Champions League goal - more than Miroslav Klose, Adriano, Ronaldo and a certain Zinedine Zidane.
It may have been a penalty, but in a competition where fortunes can change with a goal, one can never underestimate the value of a player who hasn't missed from the spot in his last 19 attempts.
#5 Zinedine Zidane could engineer a fourth UEFA Champions League trophy
The Frenchman looked dead and buried earlier in the season, losing his normally unflappable exterior in press conferences as he felt the pressure of the sack. Yet Zidane could very well end the season holding an unlikely trophy, with the race for La Liga still alive as well.
PSG, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are the only sides left in the competition that Real Madrid ought to genuinely fear. Yet, if the quarterfinal draw works in their favour, Los Blancos could very well look at a realistic path to the finals.
On a single night with their experience, Real Madrid could very well lift their 14th UEFA Champions League title. Given the problems with the squad this season, and the poor form of so many of their big-name players, it would frankly be a miracle.
Not that it is a foreign concept to Zinedine Zidane, though.
