Real’s old guard see off Atalanta to reach last eight
Real Madrid avoided another early Champions League exit on Tuesday by beating Atalanta 3-1 to win the tie 4-1 on aggregate and reach the quarterfinals for the first time in three years.
Sergio Ramos marked his return from injury by converting a penalty after Karim Benzema continued his scoring streak by capitalising on a glaring error from Atlanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.
Sportiello’s scuffed clearance in the first half resulted in Benzema being given an easy finish at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium and after an electric start, Atalanta never really recovered.
Luis Muriel pulled one back for the visitors late on but any hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed as substitute Marco Asensio fired in a third for Madrid.
Zinedine Zidane’s side will be in Friday’s draw for the last eight and with their old guard fit and firing again, they will be hopeful of exceeding what are now dampened expectations of LaLiga’s reigning champions.
“We showed tonight how much hunger there still is in this team,” said Luka Modric. “We can go far. How far let’s see but today was an important step.”
Ramos played just over an hour in his second appearance since recovering from a knee injury while Benzema’s goal was his eighth in as many games and 70th in the Champions League, making him only the fifth player to reach that number.
The 35-year-old Modric and Toni Kroos were dominant in the absence of the suspended Casemiro.
“I feel 27!” joked Modric. “The years on your passport don’t matter, it’s about what you do on the pitch.”
How Madrid’s veterans would fare against more polished opposition remains to be seen, after they came up short against Manchester City last year and Ajax the year before that, both in the last 16.
They will be unlikely to benefit from the same generosity Atalanta afforded them across the two legs.
Remo Freuler’s red card and a late goal spoiled the Italians’ night in Bergamo and it was individual errors from Sportiello and then Rafael Toloi for the penalty that let them down again here.