Real Madrid - RB Leipzig summary: score, goals & highlights, Champions League
Real Madrid - RB Leipzig: as it happened
Let's leave it there!
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Joe
Full-time thoughts:
Well, you can't have it all your own way, and Real Madrid nearly had a terrible birthday present, squeezing past RB Leipzig after another disappointing performance against the Germans.
They won the first leg 0-1 playing poorly and brought the same game to the second leg, immediately suffering under the pressure from the Red Bull football.
The message will be one of 'job done' and that's about all you can take from the game from a Spanish perspective, with Madrid's players looking out of ideas and sloppy in possession.
Chances came and went and came again for RB Leipzig who will be kicking every door in the airport until they fly home, as they had plenty of opportunities to test the structural integrity of the roof at the Bernabéu, with the tension levels causing the stadium to feel like a pressure cooker.
In the end, it was a game that showed Los Blancos can't take their foot off the gas at any point and now their focus must shift to the league, where they take on Celta de Vigo at the weekend.
FULL-TIME
REAL MADRID ARE THROUGH TO THE QUARTER FINALS
Real Madrid win a potentially life-saving free-kick for a handball by Raum.
90 seconds left.
Leipzig win ANOTHER corner.
The Spaniard hit a dropping ball on the volley and, going for a looping effort, watched as the ball dropped on top of the crossbar, sucking all the air out of the stadium!
OLMO OFF THE CROSSBAR
Tchouaméni gets a great defensive header on the ball to clear the danger.
Corner to RB Leipzig...
4 added minutes.
RB Leipzig change:
OFF: Haidara
ON: Kampl
Real Madrid win a free-kick in their own half after Valverde goes down. It was a late challenge from Henrichs.
SAVE. Gulasci collects Rodrygo's weak effort after the Brazilian went on a mazy run through the middle.
Real Madrid are doing the intelligent thing of keeping the ball away from the pressure.
CHANCE. Orbán clears Rodrygo's delicious cross that Joselu can't reach.
Modric is pleading with his teammates not to drop back as Leipzig take a throw close to their own goal.
Changes for both sides:
Real Madrid:
OFF: Bellingham
ON: Joselu
RB Leipzig:
OFF: Schlager, Sesko
ON: Elmas, Baumgartner
The pace has not dropped and we've got just over 5 minutes to go. More changes are incoming from Ancelotti.
CHANCE. Orbán comes close to getting his second with a powerful header that flashes past the far post.
SAVE. Lunin and Poulsen get on the cross from Raum and the ball ends up behind the goal. Corner.
CHANCE. Bellingham can't get the ball from out under his feet inside the box but the work from Modric and Vini Jr was sublime, flicking passes to each other in spaces fit for electrons.
SAVE. Lunin saves Henrichs' effort from the edge of the box.
Into the final ten minutes...
The blue shirts are edging forward.... Olmo finds an inch and turns to shoot but sees his effort cleared.
It's Real Madrid in a low block as RB Leipzig look for the way in, passing from left to right...
Changes for both sides:
Real Madrid:
OFF: Kroos
ON: Modric
RB Leipzig:
OFF: Openda
ON: Poulsen
Olmo has two chances to shoot. He fires into Nacho on the first attempt and drags his second effort wide.
Luka Modric is getting ready to come on...
Kroos gets in front of Simons' blue shirt, bringing him down as Leipzig counter again. That's a booking for the German.
SAVE. Lunin gets down to collect Sesko's drive from distance.
CHANCE. Carvajal clears as the free-kick fizzes across goal. Tense is not the word for this game! It's lava hot!
Tchouaméni is booked for bringing down Xavi Simons as the ex-Barça man races away.
CHANCE. Valverde lights a rocket on his boot and fires over from distance. Had that gone in, Real Madrid would've needed to spend another $1 billion on stadium renovations.
Wow, the crowd doesn't know whether to laugh, cry, cheer or explode into a million pieces.
The ball is crossed in from the left and it's the captain who sends a diving header past Lunin at the far post!
Madrid have it all to do... again!
ORBÁN
WHAT A RESPONSE
HUGE CHANCE. Xavi Simons fires low and Rüdiger gets a leg on the effort, sending it wide.
Back underway.
It's a deadly counter from Madrid. Kroos slides to Bellingham who races up the pitch with Vini Jr on his left.
The Englishman holds off and holds off before Vinicius makes a run to cross his path, when the ball is slid in behind.
The winger makes no mistake in smashing past Gulasci.
Vinicius is brought down on the edge of the box but the referee wiggles a 'no no' finger at the winger.
SIDE NETTING. Real Madrid turn on the style and come flying down the right. Carvajal slides through to Rodrygo who directs his effort into the side of Gulasci's goal.
Kroos is caught out by Haidara with his back to goal and the tackle is stabbed just wide of Lunin's goal.
It's a great save from Gulasci to stop Kroos' curling effort but thereferee has paused play for an infraction and Leipzig have a free-kick.
Vini Jr burst away down the wing to start the move before playing a delightful pass back towards the penalty spot. More like it from Los Blancos.
OVER THE BAR. Xavi Simons' free-kick lands at Openda at the back post who sends a header well over Lunin's goal.
Normally Madrid know how to keep their cool in games and moments like this, when they're suffering.
Today, for whatever reason, the players are letting the pressure get to them and the tackles are getting a little tastier by the minute.
Vini Jr is down after a foul from Haidara and one gets the sense that theBrazilian is allowing the emotion and stress of the game to get to him.
It's a nervy spell for Madrid as Carvajal scoops away another dangerous cross from the right.
Vini Jr gets a booking for a late challenge on Orbán.
It's a sensationally lucky booking as the Brazilian pushed over Orbán once he got back to his feet. Easily could have been a red.
Leipzig do well to defend as Madrid come at them on the right. Carvajal's shot is blocked before Tchouaméni's cross is headed away.
Raum is booked for bringing down Rodrygo as the winger bursts past him on halfway. Madrid have a free-kick on the right side of the box. Kroos will swing it in.
Into the wall. 78,000 people breathe again.
Leipzig win a dangerous free-kick, right on the edge of the box.
It's 21m from goal and Olmo is over the ball...
HUGE CHANCE!!! Lunin gets caught out at the back and Openda skips past him inside the box.
The goalkeeper eventually gets back and collects after the touch from the forward is heavy but that's not going to help the nerves...
Rodrygo looks to be playing inside, let's see how things unfold.
And we're off again!
Real Madrid get us going. A big 45 coming up for both sides...
Ancelotti changes things at the break
OFF: Camavinga
ON: Rodrygo
Well, well, well...
It looks like Rodrygo will indeed come on for the second half in place of Camavinga.
Ancelotti is planted in his seat on the bench and has possibly the angriest face I've ever seen.
Is Carlo planning changes?
Rodrygo is warming up on the pitch as the rest of the team are inside the dressing room.
Real Madrid struggling to create
And then when they do get forward, there is nobody in the box to aim for...
Real Madrid's pre-game display
It's probably been the best thing about Madrid's performance and was certainly the moment in which the fans were happiest.
Half-time thoughts:
Forget bulls and energy drinks, Real Madrid are the big bad wolf and RB Leipzig have built a house of bricks that they can't huff and puff to the ground.
Moreover, the little pigs (sorry, Leipzig) are throwing the bricks at Real Madrid and challenging their goal a lot more, with chances coming and going for Olmo, Simons, Openda and Sesko.
Whistles weren't long in coming from the crowd as passes flew wide of the mark and the chances didn't dry up for Madrid as they were never there in the first place.
Some nice link up play has come off at times but the majority of the game has seen Madrid play in front of Leipzig's mid-block before being left to defend dangerous counter attacks.
This tie is certainly not over.
HALF-TIME!
Huge whistles from the crowd who are not happy, and I suspect they're not alone. Another tough 45 for Ancelotti's side.
1 added minute.
Madrid win a free-kick after Carvajal is brought down on the right. Is this the last kick of the half?
We're into the final minute of the half.
Bellingham lifts his shirt over his eyes in exasperation as the linesman gives a throw to the Germans that looked 50/50 at best.
HUGE CHANCE!!! The corner lands with Openda who controls with his chest and fires a volley one inch wide of the near post!
SAVE. Lunin gets a string hanf to Simons' curled effort from the left corner of the box. This is a strong spell of pressure from the players in blue.
The whistles are coming from the crowd. One could sense it wouldn't be long before the frustration filtered out into the 78,000 expectant souls.
Five minutes to go...
Boom. Leipzig get the ball back and make attacking look easy, winning a corner.
Facial expressions are not positive as Madrid look for the correct key to fit in the door. Davide Ancelotti is going crazy on the sidelines and Valverde is visibly frustrated at the lack of progress on the pitch.
Madrid are running into a brick wall as things stand: they still have the ball and have put together a one million pass move, but it's all happened in front of Leipzig's block.
This is Real Madrid's longest spell of possession so far, but they're not managing to progress past halfway.
Openda's low cross flashes across the face of goal. Lunin catches the mirrored effort from Henrichs, who was there on the right to collect the original ball.
Mendy makes it look like he's playing in jeans and gets his feet muddled up on the left before being forced to chase down his own first touch near the corner flag. It's that kind of night for Madrid.
Carvajal gets on the end of Henrichs' switch of play and once again Real Madrid manage to cut out the attack at the final pass stage. It's nervy stuff from Los Blancos, who seem to be having the same problems as in the first leg.
Half an hour gone and Valverde gets down the right again before playing a poor cross/shot straight at Gulasci.
When Real Madrid are under pressure, who do you want on the ball?
The answer is Toni Kroos. Leipzig press and a few passes almost go wayward inside the box. Kroos receives next to Lunin and feints to send it long before skipping back onto his right foot and reminding all 78,000 people present that he's in charge.
Vini Jr runs the ball out of play on the touchline but the skill to take it past Lukeba might well have retired the poor defender there and then.
CHANCE. It's good play from Madrid and Bellingham latches onto a pass from Valverde in behind. The Englishman smashes towards goal from a tight angle and it goes out for a corner.
Madrid lose the ball again. This time it's Lunin who spoons a poor effort towards Carvajal into touch.
The biggest cheer of the night so far comes for Valverde after Tchouaméni gives away possession with a sloppy effort, allowing Leipzig to attack.
The Uruguayan channels his inner Marcelo Bielsa and races back before sliding in and recovering the ball in his defensive third.
A nice spell of possession ends after Raum slips and can't control Lukeba's pass out wide on the left. Real Madrid are not happy bunny rabbits...
We're over 20 minutes in and this tie is far from over...
Madrid, after a spell in which they allowed Leipzig to begin to show some flicks and tricks in the attacking third, come at their opponents in numbers. Their move gets called back after Valverde is judged to be in an offside position on the right.
The first booking of the night goes to Schalger for taking down Vinicius Jr as Real Madrid launch a counter attack.
Madrid, despite their positive attacking, aren't comfortable and are giving up plenty of dangerous chances.
HUGE CHANCE. Leipzig are counter-attacking like 11 red bulls in blue shorts.
Olmo skips past a challenge in his own half and drives forward 20 yards before slicing a knife through Madrid's defence and finding Openda.
The shot from the left is aimed at Lunin's far post and fizzes out of play.
Leipzig have a free-kick out on the right after the monster that is Jude Bellingham did another bad thing, adding to his list of recent crimes.
CHANCE. Leipzig pull their wings out of their blue shirts and fly up the pitch. Openda sees a gap and aims for the far post, but his shot is wide from the edge of the box.
OVER THE BAR. Some nice link up play from Real Madrid ends with a superb cross from Tchouaméni towards the far post, which is met by Vinicius and headed over.
Vini Jr looks to have got the better of Orbán on the left wing but the play is pulled back as the linesman thinks the ball has gone out of play. A frustrating decision for the winger, who was away.
And he was offside, it turns out. One of those late calls from the linesman...
SAVE FROM LUNIN. Sesko is played through and is more alone than a baby lizard in the Sahara desert. He takes an age to shape his body before firing the effort at Lunin's chest.
Valverde tries to curl a searching ball around the left-back towards Bellingham but his effort is overhit and Gulasci collects.
Madrid are finding the first early issues with getting through Leipzig's mid-block, which is shifting from one side to the other with all the energy you'd expect from a Red Bull side.
Olmo goes down in the box but it's the Leipzig man who's fouled Nacho as the ball is slipped in behind.
Vini Jr counters and goes 1vs1 with Schlager, who looks to have brought him down close to the touchline. Nothing given.
Camavinga slips and loses the ball, allowing the away side to counter. Carvajal goes to ground as the ball is fizzed in from Leipzig's left and the Germans have a corner.
Leipzig are, as you would expect, dizzyingly narrow, with their opposite side 'wide' player squeezed right over into the middle channel.
It's Bellingham as a number 9 with Valverde on the right and Vini on the left.
Kroos is the pivot with the two Frenchmen either side.
OK, this game has started at level 3000, with both teams pressing each other like crazy.
And we're off!
Leipzig, who kick us off from right to left, are in all blue; Real Madrid in all white.
The Chaaaaaaaaaaaampioooooons!!!
Vini Jr was almost singing the Champions League song! Any more and he might have broken out in a dance!
Here come the players!
We are almost ready to go!
What a noise inside the stadium!
Remember!
Real Madrid have a 1-0 lead going into the game and there are NO away goals.
The players are in the tunnel!
We're just awaiting the go-ahead from the Signore Referee and the 22 players will be out on the grass!
Starting XIs:
REAL MADRID:
GK: Lunin
DEF: Carvajal - Rüdiger - Nacho - Mendy
MID: Kroos - Tchouaméni - Camavinga - Valverde
ATT: Bellingham - Vini Jr
RB LEIPZIG:
GK: Gulasci
DEF: Henrichs - Orbán - Lukeba - Raum
MID: Schlager - Haidara
ATM: Olmo - Simons
ATT: Openda - Sesko
Happy Birthday, Real Madrid!
Today Real Madrid turn 122-years-old, and the club looks quite good for their age.
Around 78,000 fans are expected inside the Santiago Bernabéu today.
The warmups are over!
Both sides have made their way down the tunnel and are getting ready to receive the final team talks before kick-off!
Javier Gandul / Diario AS
Who to watch: Xavi Simons
The ex-Barcelona midfielder has blown up into one of Europe's most promising attackers, and posed a huge threat in the first leg.
Playing on the opposite side to Dani Olmo, Simons will look to attack the full-backs and cut inside towards goal. He's a player that PSG own and will have next summer, and what a huge asset he's going to be.
Especially if there is a space on the left wing...
More Opta goodness:
Real Madrid are set to carry on their mega-Euro streak in the elite competition.
The warmups are underway!
Both teams are out on the pitch and let me tell you, the noise tonight is going to be spectacular!
Half an hour to go!
Here's a reminder of the two starting XIs:
REAL MADRID:
GK: Lunin
DEF: Carvajal - Rüdiger - Nacho - Mendy
MID: Kroos - Tchouaméni - Camavinga - Valverde
ATT: Bellingham - Vini Jr
RB LEIPZIG:
GK: Gulasci
DEF: Henrichs - Orbán - Lukeba - Raum
MID: Schlager - Haidara
ATM: Olmo - Simons
ATT: Openda - Sesko
An Englishman, Frenchman and a referee went into the Bernabéu with yellow cards on their minds...
Make sure to tell AS USA's Calum Roche what you think of his joke when you hear how it ends.
What types of goal do Real Madrid score?
Here's a superb analysis of the types of goals that Real Madrid score.
Of course, Bellingham is top of the pops and of the 87 goals the side have scored so far this season, 10 of them have been outside of the box. They've also scored an average of over 2 per game.
Real Madrid arrive at the stadium!
The home side are at the Bermabéu and will shortly be on the pitch for their pre-game warmups!
We’ve got Manchester City taking on their yearly task of annihilating Copenhagen in the other game, being seen to by Roddy.
Take a look at what’s going on in England’s north-west before flying back here to get all the Bellingham-y goodness.
Eduardo Camavinga quotes:
Camavinga’s thoughts on the challenge ahead of the game against Leipzig: It’s a very important match. Before the game we have to play with passion in front of our fans. I just want to win.
Have you spoken to Kylian Mbappé? Do you want me to tell you the truth? I haven’t spoken to him and I don’t know what he’s going to do next season.
His thoughts on the referee’s performance against Valencia: I didn’t understand Bellingham’s sanction. He didn’t insult anyone, I don’t know what’s going to happen. It was very strange, I’ve never seen it in football. It was very, very strange.
What differences to you notice between LaLiga games and Champions League? It’s a different competition. In this competition everyone wants to win and it’s shorter than LaLiga. The level is also different.
Can you convince Ancelotti that Camavinga and Tchouaméni can play together on the pitch at the same time? Of course, [we’re going to convince Carlo]. When we play together, we play well.
Who is your best teammate on the pitch and in the dressing room? We are a very young group. We’re used to doing things outside of soccer. I’m happy with any teammate, I want to play with everyone!
Tchouaméni plays the piano, do you have any hidden hobbies? I can play the piano and sing, I can do a lot of things! It’s not a talent, but I do it.
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Here's how Sofascore see the two teams:
Somebody make sure Jesse Marsch is OK. The former USMNT assisstant will be licking his lipsat the prospect of two such narrow teams, with RB Leipzig going for their inevitable 4-2-2-2 and the hosts back to their usual 4-3-1-2 with Jude up at the front.
Can the streak continue?
Like The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, Real Madrid have a sensational record on the biggest stage of them all. Even if Brahim is more of a Rey Mysterio type figure.
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Ancelotti allegedly declared his earnings from his Real Madrid salary, but omitted image rights earnings.
Could he go to prison? Could he manage Real Madrid from prison? Does Madrid's prison have Real Madrid TV? Nearly all of the answers to these questions are here.
JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA / DIARIO AS
Bellingham starts
Don't forget that Jude Bellingham's red card was shown in LaLiga, meaning that it doesn't count for UEFA Champions League games.
The presence of the Englishman is a huge boost tonight for Los Blancos, as he wasn't present for the away fixture where Madrid slipped through win a 0-1 win.
In the Champions League, he's either scored or assisted in every game he's played in so far and has a total of 4 goals and got 3 assists in 5 games.
Carlo Ancelotti pre-game highlights:
Did you speak to Bellingham after his red card? “I don’t need to talk to Bellingham. He is a player who tries to give everything on the field. Valencia’s red was because he was a bit frustrated. But he didn’t insult anyone.”
What are your thoughts on Rodrygo’s low goal numbers? “He’s good for what he brings to the team, for what he does for the team in terms of effort, despite being a little down in terms of finishing. If he didn’t worry us before, he’s not going to worry us now. The main thing for him is to keep going as he is.
Would you say that it would be a great season if you were to win two or three trophies (Super Cup, LaLiga & Champions League): Uf, speaking about the end of the season now... I think for now we can say we’ve done well, we want to continue. There are two/three months to go, there is a long way to go. Until now I can’t criticise anyone in the team.
What do you want to improve on tactically for the upcoming game? It was difficult for us, they had a lot of opportunities. Lunin did really well. I think we are ready to show improvement. They are very dangerous in transitions, tomorrow will be a different game, where they will play more in transition than us, so we need to manage this.
Have you made your team aware they can’t step off the gas? Of course, we evaluated the game, where we can improve. I think we’re ready to show we have improved in terms of defence. They have fast players, but Rudiger is back to help us in that sense but the game has to be complete, only then can we win.
"You want the truth?" Camavinga touches on the Mbappé subject
The Frenchman was in a playful mood when asked about the PSG forward.
Marcelo del Pozo / Reuters
Who's the ref?
DavideMassa is the unlucky man who has been selected to be put under the Real Madrid referee magnifying glass ™ for the evening.
You can read about the controversy here, but for now let’s stick with Massa.
He’s an Italian referee and is a seasoned pro in Serie A fixtures, having overseen close to 200 games in Italy’s top division.
As well as that, he has refereed games in the Champions League and Europa League.
Let’s just hope he remembers not to give a corner after the end of added time...
Here's how the stadium looks ahead of kick-off
The Santiago Bernabéu has just about finished its facelift and the news today is that the roof is set to be closed for the first time in the UEFA competition.
It might not sound like a big deal and the weather forecast does not predict rain or space lasers, but the acoustics are certainly improved with the normally open stadium closed over.
The game was far from easy for the 14-time European champions who put in what was arguably their worst performance of the season.
Leipzig pressed them into oblivion and forced Real Madrid to make do with only a few chances while the majority of their time was watching Lunin pull off incredible save after incredible save.
A solo run from Brahim ended in a sensational strike to give Madrid a narrow - and somewhat undeserved - lead for the second leg, but this tie is far from over if Leipzig can put them under a tenth of the pressure they managed in the previous tie in Germany.
REAL MADRID XI REVEALED:
Bellingham and Rüdiger make the XI as expected, with Nacho also starting at the back.
RB Leipzig team news:
Klostermann is the only absentee through injury but Simakan will be suspended for the game today.
Real Madrid team news:
From having a long and gruesome injury list, Real Madrid have ploughed on and now onlyAlaba, Courtois and Militão are yet to recover from their long-term issues.
Can they do great things this season?
RB Leipzig are having a quietly solid season in their domestic league and are just one point behind Borussia Dortmund and well within the odds of making the European places for next season.
A narrow defeat to Bayern was their only loss in February and the Red Bull system continues to fuel their squad with promising young talent that excites in Germany.
Ticking along nicely...
Real Madrid keep on picking up the wins to take them closer to their goals this season of winning a league and Champions League double.
The team led by Carlo Ancelotti have waded through injury problems all season and finally look like there is a light an the end of the tunnel as key players look like a return is soon to be on the cards.
Recent refereeing controversy has dominated the discourse but that has not stopped Los Blancos as they continue to show they are one of - if not the - best team in Spain.
Welcome!
We’re back with more Champions League action tonight as Real Madrid look to build on their 1-0 lead over RB Leipzig and progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.
It’s Joe here to guide you through the action as it happens at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the Spanish capital.