Jude Bellingham central midfield of Real Madrid and England and Xaver Schlager Central Midfield of RB Leipzig and Austria compete for the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 second leg match between Real Madrid CF and RB Leipzig at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 6, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Real Madrid held on and were rewarded for their defence in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg against RB Leipzig, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 1-1 draw that allowed them to win 2-1 on aggregate. Marco Rose from Germany. .
The first leg in Germany was a struggle, as Brahim Diaz’s goal in the 48th minute was enough for Real to take a 1-0 lead despite conceding nine shots on goal while leading 15-14 in attempts.
[MORE: UEFA Champions League Centre: Fixtures, Results]
There were mood swings in the second leg, with RB Leipzig being the bigger team in the first half and the more attacking team for most of the match.
Vinicius Junior scored off a Jude Bellingham-led counter attack in the 66th minute to make it 2-0 on aggregate but Willi Orban quickly answered for Leipzig to set up a fine final 22 minutes.
Leipzig finishes with 20 shots to Madrid’s 11 and an edge in xG by 1.11-0.69, but Real won the possession battle and made their first leg lead hold up at the Bernabeu.
Goals: Vinicius Jr (66′), Orban (68′)
Kick off: 3pm ET, Wednesday (March 6)How to watch: Paramount+ and TUDN USA
The game was open, but for the moment in a row, and it was Leipzig who hit twice as many shots against the home side.
Possession almost reached the 90th minute, but Leipzig had 3 more shots on goal in this half.
Marco Rose turned to Yussuf Poulsen, Eljif Elmas and Christoph Baumgartner in the last 10 minutes in place of Benjamin Sesko, Loic Openda and Xavier Schlager.
A reaction from visitors!
It was Willi Orban who got Leipzig back in less than a minute with more than 20 minutes left at the Bernabéu.
David Raum lends a hand and Leipzig supports this.
It’s football.
Jude Bellingham has the ball at the top of the 18 and slows down his dribble long enough for Vinicius Junior to cut inside.
Bellingham opened his hips and slid in where the striker passed Peter Gulacsi to take a 1-0 lead in the game and a 2-0 lead in the tie.
And will it be more than a yellow card?
Vinicius Júnior brings down his boy from behind.
It’s Willi Orban and the Leipzig defender is not happy. It is revealed in Vini’s face, and the Real Madrid player’s clumsy two-handed push catches Orban in the throat.
Orban hits the deck and VAR has a look, but Vini’s off the hook with only a yellow.
Ancelotti removes Eduardo Camavinga and brings in Rodrygo to hopefully threaten a second goal (and make the game a better watch, we selfishly add).
Now Dani Olmo presides over a dangerous loose kick and curves it. . . right next to the most sensible end of a wall to jump over.
Still 0-0 (1-0 agg.)
Loic Openda misses close with a hard strike at the end of the half, ending an otherwise meh half.
RB Leipzig connecting in one of their first two chances may have made this fit into something. However, Carlo Ancelotti is one hundred percent satisfied to move to calcio tonight.
56% of the ball for Real, who has a 0.09 share of 0.35 combined xG and just two of the game’s eight shot attempts.
They have a 1-0 aggregate lead and it is important to them that the merit remains intact ahead of what they hope will be their 15th European Cup.
Real had a little more ball but produced a lot of genuine danger; Those who expect the League leaders to push for a second goal will have to wait a bit, because until now it was more about waiting for Leipzig’s mistakes.
All of Leipzig’s mistakes came with the final ball, as this rule could simply be 1-1 on aggregate. Let’s be too dramatic, because xG is 0. 14-0. 07 in Leipzig’s favour after an hour.
Benjamin Sesko was denied on a breakaway by Andriy Lunin, but the offside flag then came up and Sesko’s attempt betrayed his feelings about the potential flag.
Xavi Simons then cued up a half-chance for Loic Openda, but the Belgium more or less shanked it.
Still there’s hope here for the German visitors.
How could RB Leipzig achieve a comeback and a disappointing victory?
Well, Benjamin Sesko took six shots in the first leg with an xGOT of 1. 79 and finished with 3 big misses (according to fotmob).
The flip side was Loic Openda, who has been electric this season but was quiet against Real.
Problem is there’s so much defensive experience on Real. If the ball gets through Toni Kroos and Co., it’s then gotta defy Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez, and Ferland Mendy.
Oh, and goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who made saves in the first leg.
But there is a trace for Marco Rose’s Leipzig.
Jude Bellingham flipped out on the referee when Real Madrid’s weekend draw with Valencia was whistled dead in the 10th minute of stoppage time, a split second or two before Madrid got the ball over the goal line off a cross.
He earned a red card and today announced that he will miss Real’s next two matches in La Liga: home against Celta Vigo and away against Osasuna. Real is seven points ahead of Girona and 8 points ahead of Barcelona.
That is today.
No surprise here, as Benjamin Sesko, Xavi Simons and Loic Openda are starters, as are Dani Olmo and Willi Orban.
Jude Bellingham is fit to leave and Real have built a solid unit.
Toni Kroos leads a midfield with Aurélien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.
Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham will be the attackers.
Look out, Leipzig.
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