Mbappé on show against Leipzig – MADRID– If Kylian Mbappé’s Champions League masterclass for Paris Saint- Germain on Tuesday had Real Madrid suckers featuring about the future, Madrid’s limp 1- 1 draw with RB Leipzig a day latterly– hardly scraping through to the quarterfinals 2- 1 on total– brought them crashing back down to earth.
This was a worryingly flat round-of- 16 performance from Madrid, offering little in attack and looking vulnerable in defense. A platoon with further quality and cooler heads than Leipzig– who had 20 shots to Madrid’s 11– might have made them pay for it. A major enhancement will be needed if Madrid are to challenge the likes of Manchester City in this competition this season.
On the bright side, there is Jude Bellingham. This was his first Champions League knockout match for Madrid after missing the first leg in Germany, and he handed the moment of the game with a perceptive pass for Vinícius Júnior to open the scoring. Six Champions League appearances for Madrid and Bellingham has scored or supported in each one, for an aggregate of four pretensions and four assists in Europe this season.
The pre-match atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu was quiet. Madrid’s 1- 0 lead from the first leg on Feb. 13 meant that this time, no trademark grand comeback was needed; the platoon simply had to cover or add to that lead. That was reflected in a conservative platoon picked by trainer Carlo Ancelotti. Bellingham and Vinicius were joined by Federico Valverde in a frontal three– with Bellingham operating through the middle– ahead of Aurélien Tchouaméni, Toni Kroos, and Eduardo Camavinga in midfield.
It did not work. Madrid set up it delicate to produce chances in the first half, and the game’s stylish openings fell to the callers. Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin saved well from Xavi Simons before Loïs Openda fired a good chance just wide. Long ahead partial- time there were expectant hisses from the Bernabeu crowd, demanding further from their platoon. Bellingham’s position as a” false nine” was limiting the platoon’s attacking trouble, with no first-half shots on target.
A change at the interval saw Rodrygo replace Camavinga, joining Bellingham and Vinicius in attack.
There was further peril from Leipzig beforehand in the alternate half, with Lunin recovering well to claim the ball from Openda after contending off his line, while Vinicius was fortunate to admit only an unheroic card for an out-the-ball push of protector Willi Orbán. Still, Bellingham could have given Madrid the lead after an hour. His shot looked fated for the nethermost corner before it was inadvertently blocked by Rodrygo. Three twinkles latterly, with Madrid perfecting, Rodrygo had a shot saved by keeper Péter Gulácsi.
Bellingham’s invention made the advance. Released by Kroos in the 65th nanosecond, the England midfielder burst forwards, delaying his pass until the last moment to find Vinicius, through on thing. The Brazilian finished with his first touch. In the fests, he refocused at Bellingham, prompting the crowd to honor his donation as the thing’s mastermind.
That should have been that, but four twinkles latterly, Leipzig was positioned, with Orban beating Nacho Fernandez to David Raum’s cross to head once Lunin. That meant a nervy last 20 twinkles, as Madrid defended a one-thing lead in the tie. Dani Olmo indeed hit the bar in the 92nd nanosecond, elevation down from forcing redundant time.
Eventually, Madrid is in the quarterfinals, and that is what matters. They have belayed underwhelming overall displays to go all the way in this competition before, as they did in 2022. But a look at the platoon’s performances over the last two months reveals a worrying trend. Leaving away their comprehensive 4- 0 obliteration of Girona in La Liga on Feb. 10, they have not been playing well. It’s now three draws in their last four games in all competitions, and their two triumphs since beating Girona have been by just one thing.
Bellingham’s two-game domestic suspense, which would keep him out until March 31 unless an appeal is successful, will not help. Vinicius is scoring pretensions– this was his third in two games– but he needs support. Rodrygo, so frequently important in the Champions League but benched against Leipzig, has scored formerly in the last two months. In La Liga, Madrid’s seven-point lead at the top of the table should be enough to get them over the line, but in the Champions League, they’ll need further.
Mbappé might be incoming this summer, but this Madrid platoon could do with some of his magic sooner than that.
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