March 06, (THEWILL) – Vinicius Junior was the hero as his solitary strike proved enough for Real Madrid to edge out a hard-fought 3-2 aggregate win over RB Leipzig in their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie. The Brazilian’s eye-catching finish midway through the second half settled a tense contest at the Bernabeu although Willi Orban promptly cancelled out the hosts’ lead.
The Spanish giants had been toothless in the first period, failing to register a shot on target against the stubborn German outfit. Leipzig will feel aggrieved not to have taken a lead into the break, with dangerman Lois Openda spurning three gilt-edged chances to break the deadlock.
The introduction of Rodrygo at half-time injected some much-needed impetus into Real’s attack. The Brazilian’s deflected effort was parried away by the outstanding Peter Gulacsi before the breakthrough arrived on 65 minutes. Vinicius Jr raced onto Jude Bellingham’s slide-rule pass before rifling home a rising drive into the far corner.
Leipzig responded almost immediately, Orban glancing home a fine header from a David Raum pinpoint cross. Yet, despite some nervy moments, Carlo Ancelotti’s men held on to stretch their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions.
Real march on as they bid to reach the Champions League semi-finals for a fourth successive season. However, defeated Leipzig can take heart from a battling performance, even if it provided little consolation on the night.
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.
