Real Madrid claimed their third consecutive European victory this Wednesday (4-1) with Leipzig's visit on Matchday 3 of the Champions League, in a match in which Bernardo Silva scored his first goal in the white shirt and Güler, Mbappé and Diomande sealed the win after the break.
A Leipzig side that had lost its four away matches between the Bundesliga and the "Champions" faced a Real Madrid team that had won all of its games at the Bernabéu. Mourinho made rotations, despite having denied that he had the "Clásico" on his mind before this clash, and handed a starting spot to the previously unseen double pivot of Bernardo Silva-Camavinga.
Ronaldo Nazário shows off his tennis touch on clay court and keeps his partner running
The match began without either team under pressure, allowing the opposition long spells of possession, without wasting effort on pressing and without rushing the build-up into attack. That meant there were few clear chances in the opening minutes, although the first half ended with four shots on target for each team.
Real Madrid, with Fede Valverde at right-back and Arda Güler on the wing, concentrated much of their creative talent on the right flank, so it was the favored side for Madrid's attack in the first half. The Turk, in addition to constantly directing his teammates on the pitch, tried his luck with several crosses into the box that did not find a finisher in a clear position.
The most dangerous Leipzig player was Norway international Antonio Nusa. The former Club Brugge player had his first dangerous chance in the 13th minute, with a backheel control on the turn after which he drove toward Courtois's area, although he was unable to connect with any teammate with the cross.
The Belgian, despite Madrid having several spells of dominance, was forced to make two fine saves. The first came against Rômulo Cardoso, in the 28th minute, getting a hand down low to respond to a volley from the Brazilian striker. The second came against Nkunku, close to halftime, brilliantly dealing with a one-on-one.
Mbappé, padding his Ballon d'Or statistics
However, the first goal went to Real Madrid. A combination between Güler and Mbappé on the edge of the box ended with the ball breaking to the right for Valverde, who once again sent a cross into the area from the byline. The Turk received it, shot, and Vandevoordt, the opposing goalkeeper, spilled the ball behind him, something Bernardo Silva took advantage of to tap it in and make it 1-0 on the stroke of half-time.
The White team capitalized on the positive momentum to keep attacking at the start of the second half. This time, the 2-0 came down the left flank. Vinícius laid the ball off to Bellingham, the Englishman crossed into the box and found Mbappé's head at the far post. The Frenchman's finish was not perfect, but Güler was practically underneath the crossbar to make sure the ball went in.
That goal difference was too much for Leipzig's morale, and they attacked with less conviction. Nusa stopped creating danger and was substituted with 20 minutes left until the end. Madrid had space to control and think, even though they did not always do so wisely, and they dominated the second half.
When it seemed that the match was all but decided, Kylian Mbappé sealed the victory and continued padding his goal-scoring stats, less than a week before the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
What Madrid couldn't do was keep a clean sheet, a challenge that has eluded them this season, as Gomis found the net for Leipzig in the final stretch of the match, just before Diomande confirmed the "former player rule" with a stunning goal to close out the game.
- Technical sheet:
4 - Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Rüdiger, Huijsen, Carreras (Cucurella, min. 70); Bernardo Silva, Camavinga; Güler (Brahim, min. 78), Bellingham (Endrick, min. 88), Vinícius (Yan Diomande, min. 70); and Mbappé (Carlos Espí, min. 88).
1 - Leipzig: Vandevoordt; Baku, Orbán, Castello Lukeba, Raum (Finkgräfe, 73rd min.); Seiwald, El Aynaoui (Reitz, 63rd min.); Gruda (Maksimovic, 63rd min.), Nkunku (Baumgartner, 78th min.), Nusa (Gomis, 73rd min.); and Rômulo Cardoso.
Goals: 1-0, 44th minute: Bernardo Silva. 2-0, 52nd minute: Arda Güler. 3-0, 83rd minute: Mbappé. 3-1, 85th minute: Gomis. 4-1, 87th minute: Diomande.
Referee: István Kovács (ROU). He showed a yellow card to the home player Álvaro Carreras (68th min.) and the away player Reitz (70th min.).
Attendance: match corresponding to the third round of the league phase of the Champions League, played at the Santiago Bernabéu before around 75,000 spectators.