Real Madrid: 5 burning questions from the 1-0 win over Atalanta

Real Madrid had some serious issues scoring against Atalanta on Wednesday night at the Gewiss Stadium despite being handed a major advantage after Remo Freuler received his marching orders just 17 minutes into the match.

We knew Los Blancos would struggle to score goals in this match without Karim Benzema, who joined Eden Hazard and Rodrygo Goes on the injured list among forwards after picking up a knock a couple of matches ago against Valencia.

In the end, Real Madrid were able to get their goal in the 86th minute via an unlikely source in left back Ferland Mendy. The finish from the fullback was exquisite, with the 25-year-old using his weaker right foot to curl the ball past Pierluigi Gollini. He left the goalkeeper absolutely no chance at saving the effort.

Los Blancos now have an advantage in the aggregate and the crucial away goal, thanks to Mendy. Atalanta will surely bring it to another level against Real Madrid at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano in March’s second leg, and the concerns on offense still remain for the Royal Whites, even with key players like Benzema likely on the mend.

So here are five burning questions from this nerve-wracking victory in Bergamo.