Madrid carried its European momentum into the Bernabéu on a night when RB Leipzig asked awkward questions before Real Madrid’s attacking depth settled the contest. José Mourinho’s side beat the German visitors 4-1 to make it three wins from three in the Champions League, reaching nine points from nine ahead of Sunday’s Clásico at Camp Nou.
The scoreline was emphatic, but Leipzig had periods of real authority in the Spanish capital. Martín Demichelis’ team played through Madrid’s pressure early and created enough before the interval to test Thibaut Courtois repeatedly.
Rômulo was denied by the Belgian goalkeeper after finding room in the area, while Christopher Nkunku also found Courtois in commanding form when through one-on-one. Antonio Nusa caused problems on Leipzig’s left, twice getting beyond Federico Valverde, who again started at right-back rather than in midfield.
Madrid, though, went in ahead after surviving that difficult spell. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, collecting a loose ball after Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt had been beaten between his legs. Vinícius Júnior had earlier forced Vandevoordt into a save, while Jude Bellingham fired narrowly wide from distance.
Madrid find space after the break
Valverde almost doubled the lead soon after the restart, his powerful effort pushed behind by Vandevoordt. The second goal arrived in the 51st minute: Bellingham’s cross found Kylian Mbappé, and Arda Güler made the final touch from close range. A video review checked Güler’s position before the goal was confirmed.
Mbappé later struck the side netting after another Bellingham pass, and Antonio Rüdiger was prevented from heading in a third when Castello Lukeba intervened. Leipzig reshaped their side with Arthur Vermeeren? No, the visitors introduced Maksimovic and Reitz for Gruda and El Aynaoui, before Gomis and Finkgräfe replaced Nusa and Raum. Baumgartner subsequently came on for Nkunku.
Madrid also began to look towards the weekend. Brahim Díaz replaced Güler, while Vinícius and Álvaro Carreras made way for Diomande and Marc Cucurella. Carreras had been booked for a heavy challenge on Maksimovic, while Reitz received Leipzig’s first yellow card after stopping a Madrid break.
Late goals complete a busy Bernabéu finish
Mbappé made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute, taking control on the edge of the box before placing his shot into the corner. Leipzig immediately found a response through Gomis, who broke clear and beat Courtois to reduce the deficit.
The last word belonged to Diomande. The former Leipzig player struck a superb volley into the top corner in the 87th minute to restore Madrid’s three-goal cushion. Endrick and Carlos Espí then replaced Mbappé and Bellingham, with Espí passing up a late chance for a fifth when Endrick was available in space.
Vinícius left the field without ending a scoring drought that stretches back to 26 August against Real Sociedad. His goal against Villarreal had been disallowed, before the sequence that led to his four-match La Liga suspension following his dismissal in that match. He will miss the visit to Barcelona, which is why Mourinho gave him a starting place against Leipzig while holding Diomande back for the second half.
There was also a banner in the stands referring to the Negreira case, but on the pitch Madrid’s European night ended with another win: Bernardo Silva, Güler, Mbappé and Diomande on target, and Leipzig left to reflect on the opportunities Courtois had shut down before the home side took control.
