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Real Madrid reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League thanks to Vinicius Junior, who provided the quality RB Leipzig lacked to secure a 2-1 aggregate win in the round of 16.
As in the first leg, Germany’s Leipzig had to pay for squandering chances when Vinicius intercepted a pass from Jude Bellingham with 25 minutes left to make it 2-0.
After all, Leipzig missed a chance three minutes later when captain Willi Orban headed home.
The goal boosted the Bundesliga side’s confidence and they continued to pave the way for the Spanish league leaders in their quest for an equaliser.
Former Barcelona youngster Dani Olmo came closest to winning extra time (as away goals no longer count in UEFA competitions) when his header sliced off the top of the crossbar in stoppage time.
But Real Madrid, who are aiming to be European champions for a record 15th time, managed to hold on and triumph in the quarter-finals for the 12th time in the last 14 seasons.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will find out their quarter-final clashes when they draw for the round of 16 on Friday (11:00 GMT).
Reaction to Wednesday’s Champions League
With a slight advantage thanks to Brahim Diaz’s great goal in the first leg, Real were expected to show their quality and revel in bringing out their work at home.
Ancelotti keen to make it clear that the tie is far from over, reinforcing that point in his pre-match press conference to ensure there is no complacency in his ranks.
But his team responded with subdued functionality and, judging by the balance of play in the two games, had to improve.
Madrid failed to get a shot on target in the first half and continued to run out of concepts after the break.
The whistles coming from the stands of the Bernabeu when Leipzig were owners indicated the fear of the home fans and their exasperation grew as Real continued to cede ownership at a low price.
However, they possess a devastating attacking ability, led by Brazilian striker Vinicius and England midfielder Bellingham, and the home team, after all, has taken a step forward.
German midfielder Toni Kroos’ master picked up the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and his resourceful spirit defended Bellingham on the counter-attack, and that boded badly for Leipzig.
Bellingham messed up with a bit of luck before spotting the run of Vinicius, who deftly cut inside from the left into a central domain and sent a shot smoothly up into the most sensitive corner.
A flash of brilliance, as in the first leg in Germany, was enough for the Spaniards, but they know they will have greater functionality regardless of the opponent they face in the quarter-finals.
“It’s a world-class goal by world-class players. Madrid were average in the matches. But world-class players can win games in the blink of an eye,” former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves told TNT Sports.
The home side were held back for a significant part of the match in Leipzig, conceding 20 consequences while showing bravery and courage in front of 80,000 fans at the newly renovated Bernabeu.
The clearest chances fell to Belgium striker Lois Openda, but his lack of composure in threatening spaces prevented Leipzig from equalising, which would have given them a platform to check it out and win.
Instead, the over-the-top attack turned out to be too little, too far out of the ordinary. In the end, the efforts of the 2019-20 semi-finalists were in vain, as they failed to make it past the knockout stages for the fourth consecutive season.
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