La Liga giants Real Madrid welcomed Bundesliga high-fliers RB Leipzig to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg on Wednesday night (March 6). Los Merengues carried a slender 1-0, first-leg lead into the game but could not build on it, settling for a drab 1-1 draw in the return leg.
Record 14-time winners Real Madrid have a knack for switching on in the UEFA Champions League. Every time the anthem plays, they tend to put their domestic woes behind and put on a show for their fans, especially at the Santiago Bernabeu. Surprisingly, that was not the case on Wednesday.
Real Madrid Were All Over The Place In Champions League Round Of 16 Return Leg Against RB Leipzig
Carlo Ancelotti’s men not only failed to create goalscoring opportunities, but they also struggled to keep hold of the ball. Their passing was off, especially in the first half, and most of their attacks looked directionless.
In the 16th minute, RB Leipzig had a great chance of leveling the score on aggregate, as Dani Olmo released Lois Openda with a gem of a crossfield ball. The in-form attacker beat a backtracking Antonio Rudiger but failed to test Andriy Lunin with his effort, with it zipping well wide of the far post.
Three minutes before half-time, Openda got another opportunity to score, as Xavi Simons’ corner found its way to him 15 yards away from Lunin’s goal. The Canadian put his boot through the ball but could only find the side netting.
Having been under the cosh for an hour, Real Madrid scored against the run of play in the 65th minute. After a Leipzig attack broke down, Jude Bellingham charged forward before finding Vinicius Jr. with a clever through ball into the box. The Brazilian applied an unstoppable first-time finish to find the top-left corner.
The 2-0 aggregate lead did not last long, as Willi Orban put Leipzig back in the contest just three minutes later. David Raum sent an inviting cross into the crowded Madrid box, prompting Orban to steer it in with his head and make it 2-1 on aggregate. RB Leipzig piled men forward in search of the equalizer and almost got it in injury time as Dani Olmo rattled the crossbar with a fine strike. As the referee blew the final whistle, fans inside the Bernabeu let out a sigh of relief, knowing their team were lucky to keep their Champions League bid alive.
Real Madrid Vs RB Leipzig In Numbers
Los Merengues enjoyed 54% possession as opposed to Leipzig’s 46%. Other than possession, the hosts were behind in almost every other key metric. They had 11 shots, while Leipzig had 20; they lost 53% of their duels, were saved by the woodwork once, and ended the game with an xG of 0.77. The Bundesliga outfit, meanwhile, had an xG of 1.07.
