Real Madrid sees the Champions League quarterfinals a little closer after winning 0-1 at Leipzig this Tuesday in the first leg of the round of 16 of the continental tournament.
A goal from Brahim Díaz (48), who replaced the injured Jude Bellingham, gave the merengues an advantage ahead of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on March 6.
The meringues are in sight of the quarterfinals after a tough game in which they woke up after the break after a first half in which the meringues suffered intense rival pressure and which started with scares.
Leipzig saw Benjamin Sesko's header fail to score after just two minutes of play. In a controversial decision, the referee annulled the goal due to Benjamin Henrichs' offside position that touched goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
An initial scare for Real Madrid who took a while to get into the game, making it very difficult to get the ball out due to the intense rival pressure. Leipzig, who had already beaten the whites at home last season in the group stage of the Champions League, were very incisive in the transitions.
RB Leipzig vs. Real Madrid.In action, Brahim Díaz.
Sesko and Lois Openda made the Merengues defenders suffer with their tackles, boosted by the good assists of Dani Olmo. Sesko made Lunin (10) shine, who shortly after stopped a long shot from Henrichs (15) again.
A long shot from Toni Kroos at 20 minutes was the first warning for a Real Madrid team that began to improve on the way to half-time. With long balls to overcome Leipzig's first line of pressure and the runs of Rodrygo and Vinicius, Real Madrid began to reach the German area more. On the edge of half-time, Vinicius shot wide a ball that Brahim had put into the area (45).
Brahim's goal that gave Real Madrid peace of mind
As soon as he returned from the break, Brahim left three rivals to end up unleashing a cross shot into the top corner that made it 1-0 (48).
Leipzig responded with a shot almost from close range by Dani Olmo that was cleared by Lunin (51), who was one of the heroes of his team and Real Madrid's true support in the first minutes of the game.
The game became lively and the midfield almost disappeared with both teams running into space and putting speed into their attacks. Lunin had to go out of his area to clear a ball before the unopposed arrival of Sesko (62).
Real Madrid, slow in the first half, gave more speed to their game and pressed higher, preventing Leipzig from leaving comfortably due to speed. The Germans began to notice the intense effort deployed throughout the match, which Real Madrid began to control a little more.
In the 72nd minute, Vinicius missed the best opportunity to score with a shot that was too cross that repelled the post.
After a match full of intensity and speed, Real Madrid tried to slow down the game in the final minutes, but Leipzig did not give up trying to surprise.
Lunin once again excelled almost consecutively in the shots of Xavi Simons and Sesko (81), which were the last clear chances for the Germans, condemned to try to come back at the Bernabéu.
This is how Brahim reacted after his great goal
“I am very happy to be able to help the team, we continue to show that we are a great team. We had opportunities, so did they, it was a nice game. That back and forth has not benefited us at times because it is true that we were able to dominate a little more, but we played a great game,” Brahim said at the end of the game to Movistar +.
Regarding his goal, he said: “I'm intuitive. I saw Vini who wanted to give it to him but in the end I shot. It was a nice goal.”
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With AFP
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