Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig final score, result, highlights as Vinicius drags Blancos through in Champions League

Joe Wright

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Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig final score, result, highlights as Vinicius drags Blancos through in Champions League image

Sometimes it feels like the UEFA Champions League is Real Madrid's competition, and everyone else is an invited guest — unwelcome or otherwise.

RB Leipzig could certainly be forgiven for feeling that way. After 180 minutes of being the better team, their Round of 16 tie ended in a 2-1 aggregate victory for Los Blancos after Wednesday's 1-1 draw. The Santiago Bernabeu breathed a hearty sigh of relief; Luka Modric calmly applauded the stands, looking every bit the storied veteran of dozens of successful Champions League knockout games. Job done: a place in the quarterfinals for a record-extending 39th time.

The visiting players looked like they'd gone through a different match altogether. Xavi Simons was holding back tears, Leipzig's 20-year-old rising Dutch star clearly heartbroken not to get the chance to showcase his talents in the last eight. Dani Olmo stood stock still, shaking his head, perhaps still wondering how his audacious lob from a 94th-minute corner found the top of the crossbar rather than Andriy Lunin's net — one of 20 shots they managed at the home of the 14-time European champions.

But this is how it feels to play Real Madrid in this competition. Where other teams wilt under the pressure of the grandest club tournament in the world, Los Blancos embrace it, thrive in it, own it. Even when far from their best, as they were here, nobody ever panics; nobody seems to really think an upset is coming. It usually takes a truly great side — treble-winning Manchester City last season, for one — to shake them out of that sense of superiority.

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Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig final score

  Fulltime (agg.) Goal scorers
Real Madrid 1 (2) Vinicius (65')
RB Leipzig 1 (1) Orban (67')

Lineups:

Real Madrid (4-3-2-1, right to left): 13. Andriy Lunin (GK) — 2. Dani Carvajal, 22. Antonio Rudiger, 6. Nacho, 23. Ferland Mendy — 18. Aurelien Tchouameni, 8. Toni Kroos (10. Luka Modric, 78'), 12. Eduardo Camavinga (11. Rodrygo, 46') — 15. Federico Valverde, 5. Jude Bellingham (14. Joselu, 85') — 7. Vinicius Jr.

RB Leipzig (4-2-2-2, right to left): 1. Peter Gulacsi (GK) — 39. Benjamin Henrichs, 4. Willi Orban, 23. Castello Lukeba, 22. David Raum — 24. Xaver Schlager (6. Elif Elmas, 85'), 8. Amadou Haidara (44. Kevin Kampl, 90') — 20. Xavi Simons, 7. Dani Olmo — 17. Lois Openda (9. Yussuf Poulsen, 77'), 30. Benjamin Sesko (14. Christoph Baumgartner, 85').

MORE: Stream every UEFA Champions League match live on Paramount+. Try it FREE!

Leipzig certainly gave it a go, playing with aggression and positivity from the outset. Lois Openda summed up their performance well: the forward was a livewire with a little too much voltage, mishitting a presentable left-foot chance from just inside the box in the first half and taking too many touches early in the second after Lunin had misjudged a throughball.

Madrid looked to be going through the motions, unable to rouse themselves to their very best even with Jude Bellingham back in the No. 10 role. The England star had a quiet first half, Leipzig shackling him superbly as they sustained their 4-2-2-2 formation with and without the ball, shutting down the central space in which Bellingham so often thrives.

And yet, obviously, Bellingham made the goal. Toni Kroos predicted a pass and intercepted the ball on the edge of the Madrid box, and the break was on. Bellingham burst from one half to the other, The Unstoppable Juggernaut driving through the blue wall, and found himself 18 yards from goal. Vinicius ran across his path, Bellingham laid on a perfect throughball, and the Brazilian smashed it high into the net. It was remarkable, ruthless quality.

Leipzig responded immediately, launching an attack from the restart. Madrid cleared their lines but back the ball came, and captain Willi Orban met David Raum's cross from the left with a brilliant glancing header.

But did anyone really see a comeback coming? Even as Leipzig pushed forward with abandon, as striker Joselu larruped a panicked clearance from inside his own box the wrong way, as Olmo brought the ball down on his chest and lobbed it back across goal and onto the bar, you couldn't shake that air of inevitability.

This is Real Madrid's competition. They're still in it. And however disappointing they were at times tonight, you know it will take something special to stop them.

Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig higlights

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Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig lineups, team news

Jude Bellingham was available for Real Madrid, but he will serve a one-game ban against Celta Vigo this weekend following his late red card in the controversial 2-2 La Liga draw with Valencia.

Ancelotti freshened up his hosts as they look to spread the squad across two competitions, moving Aurelien Tchouameni back into midfield and restoring Nacho to the back four.

Real Madrid XI (4-3-2-1 right to left): Lunin (GK) — Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy — Tchouameni, Kroos, Camavinga — Valverde, Bellingham — Vinicius Jr.

Real Madrid subs: Kepa, Fran, Modric, Rodrygo, Joselu, Vazquez, Ceballos, Fran Garcia, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler

Defender Lukas Klostermann was still missing for RB Leipzig with Mohamed Simakan serving a ban following yellow card accumulation. Amadou Haidara rotated back in to bolster the midfield.

RB Leipzig predicted XI (4-2-2-2 right to left): Gulacsi (GK) — Henrichs, Orban, Lukeba, Raum — Schlager, Haidara — Simons, Olmo — Openda, Sesko.

RB Leipzig subs: Blaswich, Zingerle, Lenz, Bitshiabu, Elmas, Poulsen, Seiwald, Baumgartner, Jatta, Kampl

Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this Champions League match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA Univision, TUDN USA Paramount+,
ViX, Univision NOW, Fubo
Canada —

DAZN

UK TNT Sports 2 discovery+
India — JioTV, Sony LIV
Australia — Stan Sport

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.