Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored for the first time in the same game to ensure Real Madrid stay out of the Champions League.

The beautiful dream is over. real Madrid are freed from the Champions League elimination places and normality has been restored to the extent that normality makes Aston Villa and Brest the top five teams in European football.

It was a tense period in which Real stumbled through increasingly dire defeats against Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool and flirted with an early exit a format specifically designed to prevent such embarrassment for the elite. And they hardly deserved this rejuvenating victory over Atalanta. But Real certainly can’t fail from here.

It may not be a widespread problem, but it’s become difficult to watch this team without hearing Rio Ferdinand delivering a two-word backing track throughout.

Kylian Mbappe followed a magnificent first touch with a wonderful finish and opened the scoring. Ballon d’Or.

Sead Kolasinac happens to rush through and is caught out in the penalty area by Aurelien Tchouameni, with Charles De Ketelaere sending the penalty into the top corner. Ballon d’Or.

Vinicius Junior takes advantage of a lucky chance with a reckless blow. Ballon d’Or.

Jude Bellingham creates a fraction of the space with a feint and shoots his shot past the goalkeeper. Ballon d’Or.

Ademola Lookman reprises his crucial role from the Europa League final of Man Who Hits Football Really Sodding Hard. Ballon d’Or.

Atalanta barely manages to give Lookman a meaningful touch in the following half hour as he searches for the equalizer, until suddenly his skill and cross create a chance that Mateo Retegui misses from around three meters away. Maybe not Ballon d’Or.

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It’s always pretty strange watching Real defend with their backs against the wall, but that’s how this strange and absorbing game reached its pulsating climax. Atalanta had twice as many shots as their visitors, including seven unanswered from the 72nd minute to the end.

The substitution of Lazar Samardzic after the hour changed the momentum inexorably in their favor and Lookman was the best player of the game, but Real ended up doing what they always do in the Champions League: just enough.

The BMV Initialism have performed well below market since their inception in the summer, but this was the first game in which every member of this triptych scored a goal. It rather summed up Real’s defense of that European title that such a moment was marred by an injury to at least one of them: Mbappe was substituted at half-time and Vinicius barely looked half fit.

Bellingham continued his personal run with dazzling form, this collective no-show in Liverpool This is the only one of his last seven appearances at Real in which he failed to score or provide an assist after a stunted start to the season.

But after those three crazy minutes in which he and Vinicius maximized their chances, Real looked normal again. It came down to individual brilliance: Atalanta’s openings went to Kolasinac, Retegui and Matteo Ruggeri, and that ultimately showed as things got more hectic.

This is not a true vintage site. Not yet. Even here, when Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham underlined their excellence, they were never really a team. Things still haven’t worked out and increasing injury problems have exposed some unpleasant weaknesses.

But this is a phenomenal Atalanta side and their win is an impressive achievement that shouldn’t be underestimated. If Real are still nowhere near their full potential then that is an ominous sign that they are about to take their usual step towards imperious form.

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