Having won all six of their group-stage games in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid kept the winning streak alive by securing a 1-0 win over RB Leipzig in their Round of 16 first-leg tie on Tuesday night.

Playing away at the Red Bull Arena was a testing task, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men were up for the task. They now have a slender one-goal lead heading into the second leg, and although they would have liked a larger advantage, the one-goal difference was hard-fought and is worth its weight in gold.

Brahim Diaz stole the show on the night with a sensational solo goal that eventually proved to be the difference between the two sides. Speaking to the media after the game, he expressed his happiness for being able to contribute to such a vital goal.

“I’m delighted I could help out by getting the goal and with how the team performed despite our injuries.”

“I picked the ball up, turned well and then I saw they were scared to tackle me, they stepped off and I bent it into the top corner. I’m intuitive. I saw Vini and I wanted to pass to him but then I waited. It was a beautiful goal,” he added, describing how the beautiful finish came about.


The youngster then emphasised how one must take into account that Los Blancos pulled off the result with many of their key stars unavailable through injury.

“We’re missing Jude, Rüdiger, the guys who have been out for a long time. But we continue to show we’re a great team and we’re Real Madrid.”

Carlo Ancelotti brought Diaz off after it appeared like the youngster suffered an injury. Providing an update on his fitness, the Spanish winger said,

“I’m not sure right now. I felt a kick and then it was like my calf seized up. I guess we’ll run tests tomorrow and nothing will come of it.”

The goalscorer then talked about the game as a whole and how it required a monumental effort from the team to get past the German opposition in the first leg.

“We had chances and so did they. It was a great game. The end-to-end nature benefitted us, I think we could have dominated a bit more but we put in a good performance. We’ll score in the second leg.”

With Jude Bellingham and Diaz competing for the same starting spot in the team, many expected that the duo see each other as rivals. The Spaniard, however, revealed that their rapport was very good and spoke about his relationship with the English star.

“I love him, we’ve got on so well since day one. I’m helping him with his Spanish. He’s a world-class player and we’re going to love having him here. Aside from his charisma, he’s a wonderful person and player.”

Finally, Diaz insisted that all he had to do on his part was keep up his high-quality displays and make the most of the chances given to him.

“I have to keep this up, keep showing what I can do on the pitch and nothing more. I just want to help the team and do my bit. I’m so proud to have these teammates who make everything much easier for you.”

Lunin reacts after clutch display

Andriy Lunin was the other hero for Real Madrid on the night, pulling off save after save and accumulating a goals-prevented tally of close to 2.5 on the night.

“It was a tough game, really demanding. I’m really pleased and grateful to the team for all their hard work. We came through it together. We picked up a good win and our morale is high. Now we turn our attention to the next game,” he said about his performance at Red Bull Arena.

Looking ahead to the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu, the Ukrainian star admitted that it would be far from easy.

“You always want to improve things, the way you played or the result, but we come away with a win and a slight advantage. It will be a different game at the Bernabéu, starting from scratch. We’ve taken a step in the right direction but we have to keep going.”

Finally, the goalkeeper spoke about the disallowed goal on the night and revealed his perspective on the same, having been a first-hand witness to the incident.

“He was putting me off, I think you can interpret it as a foul. I don’t know. After I punched it, the player shot from the edge of the box. Then I took a couple of steps forward because I didn’t have time to get back in position and I stayed high so I could react if the ball came back in. I think he called it for offside.”

Source: Real Madrid website