For a long time, RB Leipzig is the better team at Real Madrid. Nevertheless, the Bundesliga club also loses its second group game in the premier class in the end. Although Real once again does not do more than it has to. In the end it is an ingenious action that brings the decision.
The great Carlo Ancelotti shook hands with the disappointed Leipzig pros and paid them respect for a strong performance. But RB couldn’t buy anything for the praise of the Real Madrid coach and the courageous performance at the defending champion: In the end, it was completely unnecessary and unhappy from the guest’s point of view 0: 2 (0: 0).
In the second group game of the Champions League, the DFB Cup winner put the record winner under serious pressure, and the trend reversal initiated under the new coach Marco Rose was confirmed. But the Saxons, bottom of Group F, are now under massive pressure in the fight to survive the winter in the European Cup. At the start, Leipzig lost against Schachtor Donetsk (1: 4), it was the last game in Domenico Tedesco’s tenure.
Next opponent is Celtic Glasgow (October 5), who played 1-1 (1-1) at Donetsk. Federico Valverde (80′) and Marco Asensio (90’1) scored for the long-disappointing Los Blancos. The decisive 1-0 was preceded by an ingenious cross pass from Vinícius Júnior, who found Valverde free in the right corner of the penalty area. After this stroke of genius, Valverde danced his opponent out with a fake shot and shot the ball flat into the left corner. Substitute ex-national player Toni Kroos prepared the 2-0.
RB was aware of the underdog role in Madrid. Real is a team that consists of “a lot of world stars and top footballers,” Rose had said in advance. In the absence of the injured “key player” Konrad Laimer, you still have to appear “without fear” at the historic Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Amadou Haidara played in the center for Laimer. Former world champion Kroos only came off the bench at Real in the 81st minute, national player Antonio Rüdiger was in the starting line-up – and wobbled again and again against brave guests.
As requested by Rose, RB showed no reverence for the crowd and the Spanish champions. In a confused initial phase, both sides initially lacked the pace. Leipzig quickly gained security through possession and duels won. Technical mistakes by Madrid were conspicuously often favored in the Leipzig game. RB used the unusual weakness for their own offensive actions. Playmaker Emil Forsberg sent Christopher Nkunku steeply after a miss at Real Madrid, but the Frenchman was denied by Thibaut Courtois (5′).
Leipzig also posed problems for the favorites afterwards – commitment, mentality and intensity were right, as was the case with Rose’s debut against Borussia Dortmund (3-0) in the Bundesliga. Leipzig narrowed the spaces in the center, and RB also didn’t allow anything on the outside. The switching game also worked. The fast duo Timo Werner and Nkunku had a lot of space after winning the ball, which they used and created chances. Forsberg (21st), Werner (30th) and Nkunku (34th), who narrowly missed a sharp cross from the national striker, had the lead on the foot.
Real didn’t get RB goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi into any significant difficulties in the first round. Rüdiger (38′) with a header and playmaker Luka Modric (41′) missed the goal. The audience sent Real into the break with a whistling concert. Leipzig didn’t change their style of play even after the change of sides and kept the frustration factor high at Madrid. A lot happened in midfield, the pace flattened out. Both teams appeared less and less in front of the gates. The strong Vinicius Junior failed at Real’s best chance to date at Gulacsi from close range (72′).
