In the final minutes, RB Leipzig threw everything forward again. The “Bulls” really wanted to force an equalizer against Real. The Bundesliga club had every means to achieve this. When Brahim Diaz was injured while carrying the ball (and later had to be substituted), Leipzig didn’t play the ball out, but launched an attack. Solo entertainer Benjamin Sesko scored from the best position, but Real goalkeeper Andrij Lunin made a strong save.
That wasn’t the fine style of Leipzig, and the Spaniards reacted with anger. When tempers had calmed down somewhat, the Germans stormed forward undeterred. The Rose team really wanted to reward themselves for a strong performance. But it didn’t work. So in the end there was a 0-1 defeat for the unfortunate sort.
Diaz flicks the ball into the corner
The only goal of the game came shortly after the break. And it was an absolute feast for the eyes. Diaz, who was playing in place of the injured Jude Bellingham, got the ball on the right sideline and started dribbling. The 24-year-old let one, two, three Leipzig players out one after the other and then shot the ball with his left hand from around 16 m into the far corner, unstoppable for goalie Peter Gulacsi.
As worth seeing as the Madrilenians’ lead was, it had little to do with it. Because Leipzig was the dominant team before the break. After just 96 seconds, the hosts supposedly took the lead thanks to Sesko’s header. But the referee team and the VAR had something against it. The referees considered a small push from Benjamin Henrichs to keeper Lunin as an interference with the goalkeeper. Real couldn’t complain about this decision.
Vinicius Junior hits the post
Less than 20 seconds after the restart, Sesko got the ball again from the best position, but didn’t hit it properly. In the 10th and 20th minutes, the Slovenian striker failed with further good opportunities. Sesko also remained a constant source of trouble in the second half. He had his feet or his head involved in every dangerous RB action. But like his teammates, he remained unlucky that evening.
Real, who showed defensive deficiencies especially before the break, had little offensive impact. But the Spaniards, who had to do without numerous regular players, were still extremely dangerous with their chances. Vinicius Junior narrowly missed the preliminary decision in the 72nd minute. The Brazilian failed to hit the post.
The second leg will take place on March 6th at 9:00 p.m. in Madrid.