This Wednesday, a special match was played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, a venue accustomed to great UEFA Champions League evenings, and the clash corresponding to the second leg of the round of 16 between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig promised to be a magical night, one that only the Bernabéu can generate, especially considering that this Wednesday, 03/06/2024, Real Madrid celebrated 122 years of history.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team faced this encounter with a slight advantage after winning 0-1 in the first leg thanks to a solitary goal from Brahim Díaz and opted for a very conservative lineup, leaving Rodrygo Goes and Brahim on the bench to play with four central midfielders.
Despite Real Madrid approaching the match with much confidence, they faced a Leipzig side that never gave up, almost spoiling their anniversary night and creating a tense atmosphere in a Bernabéu prepared for a football celebration, but encountered a team willing to fight until the last second.
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Vinicius scored the goal that allowed Real Madrid to advance to the quarterfinals
Around the 9th minute, RB Leipzig had one of the clearest chances of the first half when Sesko escaped from the defense of the white team, faced goal and chose to shoot instead of passing to one of his two teammates, only to be met by a well-positioned Lunin who rejected his shot.
A few minutes later, Vini took advantage of a masterful cross from Tchouaméni to head the ball, but his shot went way over. The first 15 minutes were full of opportunities for both sides, demonstrating the high offensive level of both squads.
Throughout most of the first half, RB Leipzig dominated, created chances, and did as they pleased with the ball at the Bernabéu, prompting the Real Madrid fans to criticize their own team with boos. After the first half concluded, the Madrid players were booed for their poor performance and with an evident look of concern.
With the intention of turning things around, Ancelotti chose to give Rodrygo Goes a golden opportunity, who was left out of the starting eleven due to technical decision. The Brazilian came on as a substitute for Eduardo Camavinga, who did not have a good game and was at risk of suspension.
Around 52:30′, Vinicius Jr. off-the-ball aggression towards Orban after pushing him from behind and then, after facing off, pushing the RB Leipzig defender by hitting him in the neck with both hands. For Marco Rose, Leipzig’s coach, and all the players of the German team, the foul warranted a red card, but the referee only showed him a yellow.
Although RB Leipzig did not give up, not being able to finish off a team like Real Madrid comes at a high cost and around the 65th minute, a counterattack led by Bellingham ended with an easy finish by Vinicius, who scored the 1-0 goal to increase their lead in aggregate and guide them to the next round.
The German team still had much to say in the Spanish capital as Orban equalized the match 1-1 around the 68th minute with a clean header. The gloomy atmosphere began to grow again at the Bernabéu, but Real Madrid maintained their advantage in aggregate.
In stoppage time, towards the end of the match, Dani Olmo hit a shot against the post, ending any hopes of a comeback. Real Madrid managed to hold onto their aggregate lead despite the siege from the German team and now looks ahead to the next round of the UCL.
With this victory, we now know the first four teams to qualify for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals: Bayern Munich, PSG, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.
The other matchups will be decided on the 12th and 13th of this month. Arsenal, Porto, Barcelona, Napoli, Dortmund, PSV, Atlético de Madrid, and Inter will battle to join that exclusive list of eight teams dreaming of reaching Wembley.
