Real Madrid made it nine points from nine in the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Leipzig, a result that changed the temperature of their week before Sunday’s Clásico at Camp Nou. Europe has offered José Mourinho’s side a welcome escape from the noise around Negreira and the pressures of the domestic calendar, but Leipzig ensured that the evening was not settled until Madrid’s greater pace and finishing strength took over after the interval.
Mourinho kept the central figures of his expected side in place: Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde at right-back, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler all started, while Vinicius Junior retained his position despite recent criticism. Antonio Rüdiger and Carreras came into the defence, and Bernardo Silva partnered Eduardo Camavinga in an unfamiliar midfield pairing that had previously appeared together only in the Teresa Herrera. Camavinga moved forward without the ball to disrupt Seiwald’s build-up, while Bernardo was the more advanced creator in possession.
Diomande began on the bench, avoiding an immediate comparison with Vinicius at a Bernabéu increasingly ready to judge both players closely. Mourinho’s choice also underlined the looming Clásico. The Madrid coach, in notably generous mood, praised referee István Kovács as warmly as he might praise Mbappé.
Leipzig arrived with a split personality. They had won all four home matches and scored 18 goals there, yet had lost each of their four away fixtures by an aggregate 12-2, most recently suffering a 6-1 defeat against Bayern. Martín Demichelis, whose €2.5m release clause had been paid to Mallorca, responded with only three changes to that side, one in each area of the team. His visitors started cautiously, yielding territory and keeping their shape, before realising Madrid’s early control was far from overwhelming.
Güler was the exception in a subdued opening. The Turkish midfielder drove Madrid forward, created danger in tight areas and repeatedly looked capable of turning promise into authority. Vinicius, by contrast, initially struggled to impose himself. He did produce one familiar surge that forced Vandevoort into a save, and later tracked back to stop a Leipzig break, but warning whistles had already come from the stands.
Courtois was again decisive before Madrid found their rhythm. The Belgian produced a remarkable reflex stop from Rómulo’s close-range turn and then denied Nkunku in a one-on-one. Leipzig had grown into the contest and were beginning to take possession from the home side, making the Bernabéu uneasy as Madrid were pushed back into their own half.
Bernardo Silva’s opener therefore carried considerable relief. Mbappé, Valverde and Güler combined in a cramped pocket of space, Güler’s effort became tangled beneath Vandevoort, and Bernardo arrived to turn the loose ball home. Leipzig’s first-half shortcomings came down to two familiar problems: their missed chances and the presence of Courtois at the other end.
Madrid find the extra gear
The goal forced Leipzig to open up after the break, and that suited Madrid. Valverde’s energy down the right and Bellingham’s work between the lines began to stretch the German defence. The second goal had been coming: Bellingham delivered a measured cross, Mbappé headed it across goal and Güler, positioned on the line, made certain of the finish.
Vinicius then departed looking like a player carrying the weight of recent weeks. Diomande replaced him and immediately changed the mood. The Ivorian beat defenders with two sharp feints before striking a volley that won over the crowd and made clear that the Bernabéu’s affections are shifting.
Cucurella also entered to whistles from the travelling Leipzig support, who had not forgotten Euro 2024. Their frustration deepened when Mbappé added Madrid’s fourth with a curling finish. Gomis scored late for Leipzig to reduce the margin, but only cosmetically.
Madrid’s 4-1 victory was ultimately more comfortable than the first half had suggested. It confirmed the growing importance of Güler, the reliability of Valverde’s role at full-back and Courtois’s enduring ability to rescue a match before his team takes control. It also sent Madrid towards the Clásico with a perfect Champions League record, even if Vinicius remains the unresolved question in an otherwise increasingly settled European side.
