“When Brahim started dribbling, I yelled at him not to lose the ball. And the truth is that he hasn’t lost it, eh,” Carlo Ancelotti said with a smile about the Malaga native’s virguería in Madrid’s winning goal in Leipzig.
0
Gulacsi, Willi Orban, Mohamed Simakan, David Raum, Lukas Klostermann, Xavier Schlager (Kevin Kampl, min. 90), Xavi Simons, Dani Olmo (Elmas, min. 75), Benjamin Henrichs (Amadou Haidara, min. 75), Benjamin Sesko y Lois Openda (Yussuf Poulsen, min. 75)
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Andriy Lunin, Ferland Mendy, Aurelien Tchouameni, Nacho, Dani Carvajal, Brahim Diaz (Lucas Vazquez, 83 minutes), Federico Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo (Joselu, 83 minutes)
Goals 0-1 min. 48: Brahim Diaz.
Referee Irfan Peljto
Yellow cards Rose (min. 45), Mohamed Simakan (min. 52), Dani Carvajal (min. 66), Yussuf Poulsen (min. 76), Vinicius Junior (min. 84) y Benjamin Sesko (min. 85)
Brahim’s goals are not filler. Of his eight this season with Madrid, five have served to open the scoring. And the one who scored this Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, in a gray moment for his team, was a genius of the kind that is learned on the street. The ball came to him from Carvajal in three quarters, next to the right wing, without that announcing anything important, until he began to clear his rivals by tracing the diagonal towards the area and launching a wonderful left-footed shot. “I receive the ball, I make the first fake, I see that they are afraid to go in and they back away a lot, and then I put it in the square. I am intuitive. I saw Vini and she wanted to give it to him, but then I hesitated. “It was a nice goal,” the scorer described warmly. Until that moment, there was barely a trace of who was later chosen as the MVP of the match. He appeared and watered down Leipzig’s insistence.
Jude Bellingham has been missing five games this season, Brahim has always relieved him, always with Madrid winning, and in four of those games the Andalusian has scored. Punctuality and vindication of the former Milan player, who started the campaign almost as the last in line and is now knocking on the door of coach Luis de la Fuente. “He has returned more powerful, with more character and personality. When he has had the opportunity, he has always contributed. “He is very confident and scored an incredible goal,” said the white coach.
There are no big minutes for the attacker since he started for the first time this season with Las Palmas, instead of Bellingham, precisely. The 1-0 was theirs, just as it was later against Braga, Granada, Atlético in the League and this Tuesday in Leipzig. He also dispatched Arandina, and against Villarreal and Atlético in the Super Cup he left his mark.
Before leaving with an injury to his right calf in the 84th minute (he will have tests this Wednesday), he relieved Madrid and still had the 0-2 lead by a nail after Vinicius’ shot hit the post. The rest, which was not little, was taken care of by Andriy Lunin, another who was also in the caboose just three months ago. The two began their comeback on a comfortable night against Braga at home. Since then, no one has grown bigger than them.
“He played an outstanding game. He has done very well in all situations. Playing gives him confidence,” Ancelotti said about Lunin. Grateful, but also concise. The Ukrainian, winner of the casting against Kepa, confirmed his great comeback in an evening in which he was subjected to the constant blast of Leipzig. He made nine saves from Germany, the highest number in his 34 games with Madrid and, above all, a record that makes him related in statistics to Thibaut Courtois. Since at least 2003-04, no white goalkeeper had achieved so many interventions in a match without conceding in the Champions League, just like the Belgian in the 2022 final against Liverpool.
“It could also be tied”
He embittered no one more than Sesko, whom he stopped in a one-on-one in the 10th minute and in another in the 81st minute. Also Haidara in the final stretch. If he generated something in Valdebebas during his three previous seasons in Madrid, and even in these recent weeks of promotion to ownership, it was the general doubt of whether he would be able to excel in events as demanding as the Champions League round of 16. Just the scene where he shot his actions this Tuesday.
Between the Ukrainian and Brahim they caught a victory for Madrid after a good dose of harassment from Leipzig. Ancelotti’s previous warnings did not save the whites from a shower of chances at the start. “We have to be attentive at the beginning,” the Italian had warned. An alert that, if it reached his boys, had no effect. Before minute two, a reckless pass from Carvajal and a goal disallowed to Sesko in a very controversial action. Even Kroos could be seen failing a seemingly simple delivery, and again Carvajal arrived late and overwhelmed Xavi Simons. Three shots on goal in 25 minutes from Leipzig.
“We have to be honest, it could also be tied,” admitted Ancelotti about a night that ended with nine shots on goal from the Germans compared to three from the Spanish. However, the one from Reggiolo highlighted the defensive work of his boys. “I leave the game with the fact that we are a supportive team with quality. If you put commitment into quality, you can get something good,” he concluded about a duel marked by Brahim and Lunin.