Defend the champion Real Madrid go to Red Bull Arena Leipzig for UEFA Champions League Thursday’s match clashed with Group F . opponents RB Leipzig on Tuesday evening (October 25).
Los Blancos needed just one point to advance to the round of 16 as the winner of Group F. The hosts, however, had other ideas, as they lost 3-2 to the whites in the face of the evidence. fan opinion. Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunkuand Timo Werner each scored one goal for RB Leipzig, while Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo scored against Real Madrid.
As has become the norm under Marco Rose, Leipzig started the game with intensity and desire. It took them just two minutes to make their first move together, with Emil Forsberg letting the ball touch his hand in a dangerous area on the left flank. Los Merengues somehow made it to the finish line and rescued it.
In the 13th minute, Leipzig was awarded a corner and used their physical strength to punish the away team. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made an instinctive initial save, but there was no response to Gvardiol’s superb follow-up. Three minutes after scoring the opening goal, Leipzig almost doubled the advantage. Nkunku went down the left channel and attempted an ambitious shot that, as he noted, narrowly missed Courtois’ goal and crashed into the net next to it.
RB Leipzig bid farewell to Real Madrid for the first defeat of the season https://t.co/ltuZrmUCBl
18 minutes, Nkunku got the goal as expected, he fired a thunderous shot from the penalty area that made Courtois drown in the water. It took 36 minutes for Real Madrid to open the first goal in the match. Vinicius Junior conceded Rodrygo with a pass down the left flank. Leipzig goalkeeper Janick Blaswich quickly crossed to narrow the angle of the shot and block Rodrygo’s shot.
Just before the break, Madrid pulled back a goal, with Vinicius Junior heading in the net against Marco Asensio in the box. Despite scoring a morale-boosting goal just before half-time, Los Merengues failed to build on that in the second half 45. Leipzig continued to threaten the visitors with their pace, and should have. could have taken the lead if Werner had continued to work towards the goal in the 70th minute.
In the 80th minute, goalscorer Vinicius Junior had a chance to equalize for his team, but his shot from close range narrowly missed the post. A minute after Vinicius’ miss, Werner doubled Leipzig’s lead, then shot a shot in the far corner of the goal.
In stoppage time, Rodrygo converted a penalty for Real Madrid, but in the end it was only a consolation.
The loss marked Real Madrid’s first defeat of the 2022-23 campaign, ending their unbeaten run of 16 matches. Here are three Madrid players who disappointed and two who shone in the defeat to Leipzig:
Less effective: Eder Militao
Eder Militao, who has been one of Madrid’s most reliable players over the past few seasons, was markedly less than his best form on Thursday. He completely lost Werner in Leipzig’s third goal, was weak in duels, and his long ball distribution left little to be desired.
The Brazilian has lost five of his seven duels, lost 12 balls, and missed a cross and two long balls on Tuesday. He also fouled and dribbled once.
Performed by: Rodrygo
Despite the first-half miss, Rodrygo was arguably the brightest member of Los Blancos’ often underwhelming attack. He carries the ball well, works hard, and wins and converts penalties in injury time. He misled Blaswich in finding the back of Leipzig’s net, bringing Madrid to an acceptable 3-2 scoreline.
No U21 player has scored more goals than Rodrygo in 2022. https://t.co/ifFkrmMNRj
On Tuesday, Rodrygo made a key pass, completed two dribbles, won four ground disputes and delivered two long balls accurately. He also made two fouls and completed 98% of his passes on the ground (49 correct passes).
Underperforming: Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger was placed at left-back in the match against RB Leipzig; and it is safe to say that the test failed. He has struggled to cope with Leipzig’s attacking pace and doesn’t seem confident enough to push his half higher. With him unable to break the leg shackles, it was even harder for Vinicius Junior to maintain mobility on the left flank.
Antonio Rudiger says Vinicius is like his little brother ❤️ https://t.co/LcyLPyp00u
On Tuesday, Rudiger missed two long balls, lost the ball five times and made only one interception. He didn’t score an important pass or try to dribble.
Performed by: Aurelien Tchouameni
Aurelien Tchouameni was arguably the brightest Real Madrid player at Leipzig on Tuesday. He moves the ball well, holds his ground in duels and is comfortable with the ball forward.
Barcelona believed Tchouameni would be able to replace Busquets, but Madrid ended up signing him for a hefty transfer fee.— @sport https://t.co/TDVDoKuamy
The French midfielder made 68 precise passes (94.4 percent accuracy rate), managed to make the top five tackles of his team-mate and won nine of the 14 duels. He also completed a dribble, made a clearance and fouled.
Underperforming: Lucas Vazquez
Lucas Vazquez looked like a shadow of his best self on Tuesday. He failed to make dangerous crosses into the penalty area and was not skillful in blocking Leipzig’s attacks. As a result, many of Leipzig’s attacks came from their left flank.
In Germany, Vazquez has lost two of his four matches on the ground, misplaced all three of his attempted crosses and dribbled once. He also fouled Gvardiol early in the second half, earning him a well-deserved yellow card.
