Real Madrid vs. Atalanta: 5 takeaways from a thoroughly impressive 3-1 win

Real Madrid defeated Atalanta 3-1 at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League on a 4-1 aggregate. This was their most thorough performance of the tournament thus far, and that should give Madridistas plenty of optimism heading into the next round.

Here are five takeaways from a highly positive result.

A masterclass from Zinedine Zidane

Some fans doubted the lineup selection from Zinedine Zidane before the match. The Real Madrid manager rolled the dice on a three-man defense he’s used a couple of times recently, including this weekend against Elche. Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Nacho Fernandez held Atalanta’s attack in check, and the attack exploded with Luka Modric in a controlling, deeper role with Casemiro out. And Vinicius Junior had his best performance of the season.

It was a coaching masterclass from Zidane, who wiped the floor with Atalanta. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men looked completely out of sorts. Even star players like Robin Gosens and Josip Ilicic looked inept. Luis Muriel scored the lone goal via a free kick, but he was otherwise isolated by Los Blancos for much of the match.

All in all, this was a thorough, professional performance from Real, and Zidane needs to get as much credit as the players on the pitch.