The Blancos started the UCL knockout stage with a narrow win in Germany.
Real Madrid defeated RB Leipzig 1-0 in their Champions League round of 16 match on Tuesday. Brahim Diaz secured Real Madrid’s victory in the first leg with a stunning strike in the second half.
What happened?
Leipzig’s bright start to the game almost led to an early opener when Benjamin Sesko punished Andriy Lunin for a surprising mistake inside the box. However, the goal was ruled out for offside, providing a chance for the visitors to slowly find their feet in the game.
Real Madrid failed to create enough chances before the break, but they needed only three minutes to break the deadlock in the second half. Diaz latched onto a pass from Dani Carvajal before dancing past a few Leipzig defenders on the edge of the box. The striker then made it 1-0 for the visitors with a stunning curler into the far corner of the net.
The goal forced Leipzig to put more bodies forward, providing more space for Real Madrid’s counter-attacks. Vinicius Junior hit the post after a brilliant piece of buildup play in the 72nd minute, but the Blancos failed to create enough chances to extend their lead ahead of the second leg.
The hosts, on the other hand, had to settle for a frustrating defeat as they lacked enough attacking edge to spoil Lunin’s clean sheet.
Leipzig vs Real Madrid: Man of the Match
Lunin deserves the Man of the Match title for his role in Real Madrid’s narrow win. The in-form goalkeeper made nine saves to help the Blancos maintain their lead ahead of a crucial second leg at Santiago Bernabeu.
Player Ratings
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi (6); Henrichs (7), Klostermann (6), Simakan (5), Raum (7); Schlager (7), Orban (7); Olmo (7), Simons (7); Sesko (5), Openda (5).
Bench: Haidara (7), Poulsen (5), Elmas (6), Kampl (-).
Real Madrid: Lunin (9); Carvajal (7), Nacho (7), Tchouameni (7), Mendy (7); Camavinga (8), Kroos (7), Valverde (6); Brahim Diaz (8); Rodrgyo (7), Vinicius Junior (6).
Bench: Vazquez (5), Joselu (6).
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