France star forward Kylian Mbappe made a spectacular debut for Real Madrid, scoring a precise goal as the European champions defeated Atalanta 2-0 to claim the Super Cup on Wednesday.
Federico Valverde gave Real Madrid the lead in the 59th minute with a close-range finish, while Mbappe sealed the victory with a stunning top-corner strike from Jude Bellingham's assist just nine minutes later.
Real Madrid clinched a record sixth Super Cup crown, moving ahead of Barcelona and AC Milan, who have each won the annual match between the Champions League and Europa League winners five times.
"It was a very difficult game," Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said at a news conference. "The second half was much better; we had more space in front and showed our qualities. In the first half, however, we struggled a lot. Atalanta played really well defensively, and we had difficulty finding space."
Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid in June from Paris Saint-Germain, could have opened the scoring in the 15th minute, but his first-time attempt was blocked by the Atalanta defense.
Atalanta, without injured striker Gianluca Scamacca and midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, showed no fear against their illustrious opponents in their first Super Cup appearance.
After soaking up Real Madrid's initial pressure, Gian Piero Gasperini's side grew increasingly confident, with Marten de Roon's deflected shot crashing against the bar.
Atalanta continued to create chances, with Ederson shooting just wide from a distance before Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved Ademola Lookman's strike.
Rodrygo missed an excellent chance for Real Madrid in first-half stoppage time, sending a low pass from Vinicius Jr. against the bar.
Atalanta pressed after the break, and Mario Pasalic tested Courtois with a header that the Belgian goalkeeper brilliantly denied with his fingertips.
Real Madrid broke the deadlock when Valverde converted a precise pass from Vinicius.
They could have doubled their lead through Vinicius following a fine counter-attack, and Bellingham wasted two good chances before setting up Mbappe for Real Madrid's second, cutting the ball back for the Frenchman to provide a neat finish.
The 25-year-old, who won seven Ligue 1 titles with PSG and Monaco but had never previously won a European club competition, was substituted seven minutes from time.
"Real Madrid are undoubtedly strong. They deserved to win at the end of the game because they opened up and then had the situations to score an extra goal," Gasperini said. "As a team, we lacked the cynicism of the finals. We had the feeling that with a bit of cynicism, it was even within our reach."
Real Madrid kick off their La Liga season on Sunday at Copa del Rey finalists Mallorca. Atalanta travel to Lecce for their Serie A season opener on Monday.
