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Real Madrid hosted Atalanta for their second leg encounter that Read Madrid edged with a solitary goal. What a precious away goal that would ease the burden even before the ball is kicked for Real Madrid. The 13th time champion hoped to qualify for the quarter-finals against a team that had only been there once.
In the 26th minute, Vinicius was played through. He brilliantly ran the length of the field and exchanged a pass with Benzema which allowed him an opportunity in the box but Vinicius was unable to get his shot off, much to the relief of Atalanta.
It wasn't much after in the 34th minute when a mistake from the goalkeeper gave Real Madrid the lead. His poor clearance came into the path of Modric who did brilliantly by running into the box before squaring the ball to Benzema who had one of the easiest goals of his career with a simple finish into the empty net to make it 1-0.
Vinicius was wasteful again in the 52nd minute when he brilliantly ran into the box. His dazzling feet displaced the defenders but he shockingly sent his effort wide right inside the box. He did everything right, from the run to the body movement but his finishing let him down.
Another stunning run from Vinicius in the 58th minute led to him being clipped in the box. The referee gave a penalty which Sergio Ramos stepped up to take. He expertly dispatched the shot and made it 2-0 and 3-0 on aggregate. Real Madrid would now be heading into their first quarter-finals in 3 years.
Madrid wanted everything at this point and in the 68th minute, a lovely and inviting cross found Benzema whose header hit the goalkeeper and the rebound fell back to him and his second header in a matter of seconds hit the post. In the 78th minute, Courtois saved brilliantly from Zapata's lovely strike to deny Atalanta and keep the clean sheet alive.
Atalanta dented Madrid's clean sheet in the 81st minute when Varane gave away a freekick at the edge of the box. Muriel stepped up and wonderfully scored it by placing it at the top right-hand corner to half the deficit but any hope of a comeback was thwarted when their lead only lasted 1 minute as Lucas Vasquez found a substitute, Asensio who did well to get his shot into the back of the net from the goalkeeper's angle.
The game ended 3-1 and 4-1 on aggregate. Madrid marched on and it's the end of the road for the brave Atalanta.
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