A 1-1 draw for Real Madrid was enough to have them qualify for the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League. RB Leipzig may have only themselves to blame for the loss as they were unable to take their chances throughout the game.
Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior showed why they are the most in-form duo in Europe right now. They combined for the only goal of the night after Toni Kroos began a counterattack.
It was an unconvincing display at the Bernabeu but at the end of the day, the Merengues got what they were looking for.
Here is how the Real Madrid players fared in the 1-1 draw.
Player ratings:
Andriy Lunin: 7.0
The Ukrainian was at the fore again as he made some crucial saves and prevented the Leipzig attack from scoring.
Dani Carvajal: 7.0
The captain was defensively solid albeit he was not involved on the attacking front. Did not make any mistakes whatsoever and led the team from the front.
Antonio Rüdiger: 7.5
The German showed why he is amongst some of the best center-backs in Europe right now. Made some important blocks and won 100% of his ground and aerial duels.
Nacho: 6.5
The Spaniard was decent but made some mistakes as well. He was unable to clear Orban’s header who came from behind and scored a header from Nacho’s waist height.
Ferland Mendy: 5
Poor performance by the Frenchman. He was dribbled past twice in the 1st half and caused a dangerous chance for Leipzig. Made mistakes at the back and did not make overlapping runs in attack. A forgetful display.
Aurelien Tchouaméni: 7.0
He was back in his natural position. Made some crucial interceptions and did not let Leipzig’s attack through on several occasions.
Toni Kroos: 8.0
He put his poor performance at Valencia behind and was one of the best performers of the night. As always, was accurate with his deliveries and it was the German’s interception that began the counterattack which led to the goal.
Eduardo Camavinga: 6
An average performance and a rather uncharacteristic one from the French national. Was lost at times and was correctly subbed off at the beginning of the 2nd half as Carlo’s five-man midfield experiment did not pay off.
Federico Valverde: 7.5
The Uruguayan was a machine in the midfield yet again. Played in a more advanced position than he usually has this season but later shifted back to his original position. Great performance.
Jude Bellingham: 8.0
He did not let the game come to him but instead went to get involved in the game himself. The Englishman showed his class and ended up assisting Vinícius for the goal. Also had a chance to score in the 2nd half.
Vinícius Júnior: 8.5
Benjamin Henrichs at right-back for Leipzig did a great job in keeping the Brazilian quiet. But he needed just one chance to score after a counterattack and a pass from Bellingham helped him do so. Another noteworthy performance on the big stage.
Substitutes:
Rodrygo: 7.0
Came on for Camavinga at the beginning of the 2nd half and showed what Real Madrid lacked in the 1st half. Improved the attacking threat despite not being on the ball much.
Luka Modric: 6.5
He came on for Kroos in the 78th minute and continued his form with a decent final 12 minutes.
Joselu: N/A
Not enough time to make an impact and warrant a rating.
