'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Zinedine Zidane's three-man defense finally comes good
Eyebrows were raised when Zinedine Zidane named his starting lineup, featuring a three-man defense yet again. The 3-5-2 formation also featured in the previous La Liga game against Elche, but looked distinctly pedestrian on that occasion.
However, it was clear that with Casemiro missing Zidane would need to offer his defense more protection and the formation worked a beauty. Sergio Ramos shrugged off his rusty performance against Elche to command his backline partners.
Raphael Varane and Nacho offered greater security to Lucas Vasquez and Ferland Mendy as the duo bombed forward. Fede Valverde's energy was crucial as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric weaved their pretty patterns to supply Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr.
Casemiro, normally so important to Madrid, was rarely missed, and Zidane can be proud of his side's tactical nous in an assured performance.
#4 Real Madrid's stalwarts shine
The naysayers of Cristiano Ronaldo's potential return to Real Madrid all point to his age as a negative factor, but tonight's performance served as the perfect evidence for Florentino Perez getting the band back together.
Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric were fantastic, with the Croatian turning in a man-of-the-match performance in midfield. It was his pressing, touch and composure that created the opener, and he offered plenty to nullify Atalanta's threat in the middle of the park as well.
Sergio Ramos showed exactly why Florentino Perez ought to loosen the purse-strings and pay his captain what he wants. Not only was Ramos rock-solid in defense, he notched up his 15th UEFA Champions League goal - more than Miroslav Klose, Adriano, Ronaldo and a certain Zinedine Zidane.
It may have been a penalty, but in a competition where fortunes can change with a goal, one can never underestimate the value of a player who hasn't missed from the spot in his last 19 attempts.
#5 Zinedine Zidane could engineer a fourth UEFA Champions League trophy
The Frenchman looked dead and buried earlier in the season, losing his normally unflappable exterior in press conferences as he felt the pressure of the sack. Yet Zidane could very well end the season holding an unlikely trophy, with the race for La Liga still alive as well.
PSG, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are the only sides left in the competition that Real Madrid ought to genuinely fear. Yet, if the quarterfinal draw works in their favour, Los Blancos could very well look at a realistic path to the finals.
On a single night with their experience, Real Madrid could very well lift their 14th UEFA Champions League title. Given the problems with the squad this season, and the poor form of so many of their big-name players, it would frankly be a miracle.
Not that it is a foreign concept to Zinedine Zidane, though.
