October 25, (THEWILL) – RB Leipzig defeated Real Madrid 3-2 at home to not only temporarily deny the European champions the opportunity to advance as the group’s leading side in the Champions League, but also better their chances of qualifying for the next stage.
Marco Rose’s team now has a chance to advance on the third and final matchday if they avoid losing against third-placed Shakhtar Donetsk, while Madrid, who will face Celtic at home, will win the group if they match Leipzig’s outcome.
In the first 18 minutes of Tuesday’s fixture, goals from Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku showed the visitors their intent. Vinicius Junior then cut the deficit in half, but Madrid still struggled without Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, and Karim Benzema.
Substitute, Timo Werner, increased the home team’s lead and despite Madrid’s frequent late drama during last season’s European glory, Rodrygo’s penalty was not enough to save a win for them this time.
Leipzig now trails Madrid by just one point going into the last match of the group stage, meaning the Group F top spot is still theoretically up for grabs. Because Madrid has an advantage in their head-to-head matchup, it would need the Spanish team to fall to Celtic and the German team to defeat Shakhtar for Leipzig to finish ahead. Nevertheless, it makes for an intriguing last day.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
