Vinicius Junior’s goal helps Real to edge into the Champions League quarter-finals
Real Madrid have reached the quarter-finals, despite drawing their second leg at the Bernabeu
Match report as Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the second half after a Jude Bellingham break; Willi Oban netted a deserved reply for RB Leipzig, who wasted numerous chances; Real Madrid now join Man City, Bayern Munich and PSG in the last eight, Sky Sports reports
Real Madrid were made to work for their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, edging past RB Leipzig 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in their second leg.
RB Leipzig was arguably the better side and missed several gilt-edged chances, registering 20 shots to Real Madrid’s 11.
But Carlo Ancelotti’s side increased the tempo in the second half and ultimately did enough to secure qualification for the next round.
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Bidding for a record-extending 15th Champions League title, Real took the lead in the 65th minute thanks to Vinicius Junior’s strike from a counter-attack.
But Leipzig’s Willi Orban leveled three minutes later with a header to set up a tense finale, which included a strike by Dani Olmo that hit the crossbar.
How Real edged to victory
Even though Real have a formidable record in Europe – having been knocked out in the round of 16 only twice in the past 14 years while winning the title five times during that period – they began rather cagily.
Leipzig kept threatening to score, with Orban missing twice in the second half after shooting wide.
In the second half, Rodrygo replaced Eduardo Camavinga, and suddenly, Real was playing with more purpose.
Real appeared to have settled the tie when Toni Kroos stole the ball and fed Jude Bellingham at the halfway line, who took the ball up the Leipzig box.
He slipped a pass to Vinicius, who had cut in from the left into the center circle before rifling a shot into the left-hand corner.
That goal only seemed to fire up Leipzig, who equalized within three minutes when Orban got in front of Nacho to score with a stooping header from a cross by David Raum.
In the final 20 minutes, during which several yellow cards were handed out, Real played with fire and were repeatedly under pressure in their own box. Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who had already saved Real in the first leg, was forced to make several crucial saves.
Leipzig almost took the game to extra time when Dani Olmo saw his shot ricochet off the bar in added time.
Ultimately, Real did just enough to qualify for yet another quarter-final.
“We know it wasn’t the best game of the season,” said Real captain Nacho.
“Sometimes, you just have bad games, and tonight was the case. It looks like a drama because of how we played, but what matters is that we qualified for the quarters. Let that be a lesson for what’s to come.”
Opta stats – RB Leipzig make club history
- RB Leipzig has failed to progress from their last three UEFA Champions League last-16 ties, going out to Liverpool in 2020-21, Manchester City in 2022-23, and Real Madrid this season.
- Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham (4 goals, four assists) became the first English player to register both 4+ goals and 4+ assists in a single UEFA Champions League campaign since Steven Gerrard in 2007-08 (6 goals, four assists).
- RB Leipzig attempted 20 shots against Real Madrid – the most they had ever recorded in a single UEFA Champions League knockout stage game.
- Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior has been directly involved in 27 goals in his last 27 starts in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 14 and assisting 13.
What’s next for Real Madrid and RB Leipzig?
Title-chasing Real Madrid faces Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday; kick-off is at 5.30 pm.
RB Leipzig, who approach the weekend just outside the Champions League places, host Bundesliga basement club Darmstadt on Saturday; the match kicks off at 2:30 pm.
