Carlo Ancelotti said his Real Madrid players "were suffering" during their record sixth UEFA Super Cup triumph over Atalanta on Wednesday. 

Ancelotti watched on as his side struggled in the opening exchanges, registering just three shots in the first-half with an expected goals (xG) total of 0.38. 

Madrid's best chance in the first 45 minutes saw Rodrygo rattle the crossbar, but a much-improved display after the interval saw Federico Valverde and Kylian Mbappe strike to secure the win. 

Ancelotti, who drew level with Miguel Munoz as the Madrid coach with the most titles (14), was delighted with the result, but acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter. 

“It is an honour and a privilege to live these nights here," Ancelotti said. "We were suffering, fighting and winning too.

“We suffered a bit in the first half, because Atalanta pressed a lot and play very well defensively. They won more duels than us and we had more difficulties.

"The game opened up a bit in the second half, they felt tired and we had more space. With that space, Rodrygo, Vinicius and Mbappe are very dangerous.”

Ancelotti's success in Warsaw was his fifth in the Super Cup, taking him clear of Pep Guardiola (four), with three of those titles coming with Los Blancos.

But much of the noise surrounded Mbappe's debut, becoming the first Madrid player to score on his competitive debut for the club since Jude Bellingham did so against Athletic Bilbao 12 months ago. 

Mbappe contributed 44 goals and 10 assists in his final season with Paris Saint-Germain and targeted a haul of 50 in his debut season in Madrid, with Ancelotti believing the Frenchman can surpass that total. 

“He has the quality to score a lot of goals, more than 50," Ancelotti said after full-time.

"We have to look for the balance of the team and today we had it, although in the first half the game was difficult. But the team played a great game defensively.”

Madrid now turn their attention to the opening match of their 2024-25 La Liga campaign. Ancelotti and his players head to Son Moix on Sunday, where they will take on Mallorca.

UEFA has announced the introduction of semi-automatic offside technology, which will debut in the Super Cup and be used in the Champions League during the 2022-23 season.

SOAT's introduction will "allow VAR teams to determine offside situations quickly and more accurately", UEFA says, and will operate thanks to specialised cameras, which are able to track 29 different body points per player.

Set to be used in the Super Cup match between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt in Helsinki on August 10, UEFA says the technology has been tested 188 times since 2010 – including all matches in last season's Champions League, knock-out fixtures in the Women's Champions League and during the UEFA Women's Euros, as well as other club competition finals.

"UEFA is constantly looking for new technological solutions to improve the game and support the work of the referees," UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer Roberto Rosetti said in a press release.

"The system is ready to be used in official matches and implemented at each Champions League venue."

UEFA also announced that English referee Michael Oliver will officiate the Super Cup final, who will be assisted by compatriots Stuart Burt and Simon Bennett.

Rumsas Donatas (Lithuania) will act as the fourth official, while the VAR role has been assigned to Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland), and he will be assisted by his fellow countryman Bartosz Frankowkski, as well as Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (Portugal).

Julian Nagelsmann described Jamal Musiala's display in the 5-3 DFL-Supercup win over RB Leipzig on Saturday as "world class".

Musiala, 19, got Bayern on their way early in the first half with a cool finish, before playing an integral role in their next two goals as they went in at the break 3-0 up.

He played an incisive pass into Serge Gnabry, who picked out Sadio Mane for a goal on his competitive debut for Bayern, before teeing up Benjamin Pavard to make it three.

Musiala made 40 appearances across all competitions last season, yet only 18 came as a starter.

Asked if he is likely to become a regular fixture in his starting XI this season, Nagelsmann said: "Of course, that is up to him. If he plays like he did today then he is indispensable to the team.

"He had an outstanding preparation, and was very diligent. He has improved defensively. His performance today was world class."

Bayern's marquee signing ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Mane, opened his account with a simple close-range finish in the first half and saw two efforts ruled out for offside after the break.

Nagelsmann was thrilled with the former Liverpool forward's contribution and believes his presence brings out the best in other players.

"It was a very good performance," he added. "He's humble, down to earth, hardworking, and he pushes the boys in the dressing room.

"He is a player with outstanding quality, and he's an outstanding guy."

Leroy Sane came off the bench to add a fifth goal with the last kick of the game after Leipzig had pulled two goals back having been 4-1 behind.

Nagelsmann was impressed by the former Manchester City forward, but believes there is still plenty of room for improvement.

"He's done a lot better in the past week and a half," the Bayern boss said.

"He's a great person and an outstanding footballer. He scored a great goal today. We can get him where we want him to be. We have to continue working on it together."

Saturday's triumph was Bayern's 10th in the DFL-Supercup, further extending their record in the competition.

Their bid for an 11th consecutive Bundesliga title starts on Friday with a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Sadio Mane scored on his Bayern Munich competitive debut as the Bundesliga champions withstood a late fightback to beat RB Leipzig 5-3 in the DFL-Supercup.

Julian Nagelsmann's side lost Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona recently, but Mane – a €41million signing from Liverpool – suggested he will not have any problems filling the void left by the Poland international.

He slid home from close range in the first half to double Bayern's advantage at the Red Bull Arena after Jamal Musiala had given the Bavarian giants an early lead.

Benjamin Pavard made it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time, with Serge Gnabry adding a fourth after Marcel Halstenberg pulled one back for Leipzig. Christopher Nkunku crashed home from a penalty and Dani Olmo powered home late on as Domenico Tedesco's men rallied, before Leroy Sane hit a fifth for Bayern with the last kick of the game.

Bayern were rewarded for a bright start in the 14th minute when Musiala steered past Peter Gulacsi from 10 yards after Leipzig failed to clear a corner.

An unmarked Mane made it 2-0 in the 31st minute with a simple finish from eight yards after he had been picked out by Serge Gnabry. Bayern then appeared to put the game to bed on the stroke of half-time when Pavard slotted home from the impressive Musiala's pull-back.

Halstenberg reduced the deficit moments after Andre Silva hit the crossbar, the defender sending a looping header into Manuel Neuer's far corner.

Gnabry restored Bayern's three-goal lead in the 65th minute with a close-range strike after Gulacsi kept out Thomas Muller's initial effort. 

Nkunku scored Leipzig's second in the 77th minute with a powerful penalty after Pavard fouled Olmo, before Spain international Olmo added a third with a cool finish in the 89th minute.

Bayern had the final say, though, when Sane raced clear and slotted past Gulacsi deep into stoppage time to seal a third consecutive DFL-Supercup triumph.

Julian Nagelsmann has no fears about being fired by Bayern Munich if he hits a rough patch of form this term, saying the only pressure he feels is his own need to succeed.

The Bundesliga champions get their new campaign under way against RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup on Saturday, before kicking off their league title defence next Friday against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Head coach Nagelsmann tasted success in his maiden season at the helm at Allianz Arena, but the 35-year-old's first campaign was far from the cakewalk Bayern have appeared to enjoy under varying predecessors in the past few years.

The loss of Robert Lewandowski this term also represents a major blow when it comes to firepower, and questions are being asked about whether this could be the year the club's league monopoly is cracked.

But Nagelsmann feels the only pressure he faces comes from himself, and that whatever challenges his side square up to will happen come what may for him.

"I always put the pressure on myself," he said. "I want to play the most successful football possible, which is also nice to look at from the outside. I feel little pressure from outside.

"It's not about life and death in football. If I get fired at some point, I'll be fired – I'm not too afraid of that! That's the way it is in the job. I don't feel the pressure from outside, only my pressure to succeed.

"We want to do certain things better than in the second half of the season [but] I don't really give a damn about the pressure that's coming from outside."

While Bayern have brought in fresh recruits this summer, including Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt, the departure of Lewandowski remains a major void they are arguably yet to fill.

Bayern admire Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane, but it appears far-fetched to imagine them bringing him in now, given how tenaciously Spurs clung to Kane when Manchester City wanted him 12 months ago.

Nagelsmann has not ruled out finding a successor to Lewandowski before time runs out, adding: "There are still four weeks that the transfer window is open, so something could still happen. We are keeping our eyes on the market."