Los Blancos narrowly survived a major scare against RB Leipzig, and no one will be afraid of Carlo Ancelotti's side in the quarter-finals
Chants of 'Happy Birthday' rang round Santiago Bernabeu just before the second leg of Real Madrid's last-16 tie against RB Leipzig, as fans celebrated the club's 122nd anniversary. Since their inception in 1902, Madrid have set unprecedented standards of excellence, winning the European Cup on 14 occasions while playing an elegant brand of football that reflects their reputation as the world's greatest club.
But on Wednesday night, Carlo Ancelotti's current crop of superstars failed to live up to their 'El Rey de Europa' (The King of Europe) title, which supporters displayed proudly in a massive banner just before kick-off against RB Leipzig. Madrid were heavy favourites to progress after picking up a 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena on February 13, but endured an uncomfortable night on home soil that very nearly ended in disaster.
The Spanish giants did scrape a 1-1 draw, which was enough to go through, but there was no outpouring of joy at the final whistle. In fact, the Bernabeu was almost completely silent, and the players looked miserable as they trudged off the pitch.
This was a fortunate escape for Real, not a triumph of character or quality, and there is no chance of a 15th European crown heading back to the Spanish capital unless dramatic improvements are made.
Getty'Madrid were bang average'
Leipzig were by far the better side in the first half, and managed five shots at goal compared to Madrid's one. The home crowd made their frustration known as boos rained down on Ancelotti's lethargic team, and very little changed in the early stages of the second period, despite the introduction of Brazilian forward Rodrygo.
It seemed to be just a matter of time before the visitors broke the deadlock, but Jude Bellingham took it upon himself to change the course of the game. In the 65th minute, the England international drove the ball out of his own half like a raging bull and ran all the way to the edge of Leipzig's penalty area, before teeing up Vinicius Jr to score the crucial opening goal with a perfectly-weighted pass.
Willi Orban drew the visitors level moments later, and it was Leipzig who pressed hardest for the winner thereafter, with Real left with their hearts in their mouths when Dani Olmo's sublime improvised volley bounced off the crossbar in stoppage-time. Through a combination of good fortune and another strong performance from Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who also made nine saves in the first leg, Los Blancos held on for a draw that puts them in the hat for the quarter-final draw – but they will surely want to erase the memory of largely dire display as soon as possible.
Former Manchester United and Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves was on hand to provide a perfect assessment of the tie, as he told : "It is a world-class goal from world-class players. Madrid were bang average in the two games. But world-class players can win matches in the blink of an eye."
AdvertisementGettyAncelotti gets it wrong
Ancelotti is one of the most successful managers of the last 20 years, and has a distinctive Italian look that helps him exude composure and class, complete with his seemingly permanently raised eyebrow. But the 80,000 fans packed into Santiago Bernabeu would have had a similar expression on their faces when Ancelotti filed his chosen starting XI against Leipzig, as he went with a five-man midfield while deploying Vinicius in a central striker role.
It was a safety-first approach designed to limit the threat of Leipzig's talented forward line, but it backfired, and Madrid were unable to enforce their usual high-press. Bellingham, in particular, struggled to get involved in the game as a false nine, having been central to Los Blancos' solid defensive work for much of the season.
The hosts couldn't find any sort of rhythm, and created next to nothing in terms of clear-cut chances, aside from Vinicius' superb goal just after the hour mark. A better team would have punished Madrid, and Ancelotti admitted that he got his tactics wrong in his post-match press conference.
"I may have made a mistake with the line-up. The idea was to press more, with energetic midfielders, but we played with the brakes on," Ancelotti said. "No pressing, slow with the ball, not direct, with sideways passes. It wasn't a good night obviously. It's my fault. Sometimes in the Champions League this can happen."
GettyToo much responsibility for Jude
Based on Wednesday's performance, Madrid won't have enough to compete with Manchester City if they come up against the holders in the latter stages of this season's Champions League. Last year's 5-1 aggregate defeat to City in the semi-finals will still be in the back of Ancelotti's mind, and despite the fact Los Blancos have made improvements since then, there is still a clear gulf in quality between the two teams.
Bellingham's presence alone won't be enough to bridge that gap, despite the fact he has been the best player in La Liga since his €103 million (£88m/$110m) transfer from Borussia Dortmund. The 20-year-old has displayed maturity and skill belying his tender age in his debut campaign in Spain, while surprisingly emerging as their main source of goals.
In just 31 appearances for the club to date, Bellingham has found the net 20 times, a feat David Beckham took four years to accomplish, and has deservedly been compared to icons like Zinedine Zidane and Alfredo Di Stefano. He's been equally effective without the ball too, with Madrid boasting the best defensive record in La Liga in part thanks to his ability to real the game and break up play.
If Madrid are to go further in Europe, Ancelotti will certainly have to revert to his tried and tested 4-4-2 formation, with Bellingham operating as a No.10, which will ensure the Englishman is far more involved at both ends of the pitch. But there is too much responsibility on his shoulders right now, and a lack of depth behind him should be cause for major concern for Ancelotti.
GettyAssessing the squad
Madrid's record at the back is made all the more impressive when factoring in the fact they've had to make do without three of their best players for the majority of the campaign. No.1 goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois suffered an ACL injury two days before the club's opening game in La Liga against Athletic Club, while Eder Militao limped out of the 2-0 victory after just 50 minutes after suffering a similar issue.
David Alaba also tore knee ligaments in December, leaving Ancelotti with only Antonio Rudiger and Nacho to call upon at centre-half. The Italian coach had to field a makeshift backline for a top-of-the-table clash with Girona in February, after losing Rudiger to a knock, and although Madrid managed to win with Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Carvajal providing cover, it feels like they are in survival mode.
Vinicius and Eduardo Camavinga both had lengthy spells out in the first half of the season, too, while veteran duo Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are still seeing plenty of game time as a result. Real also have only one natural No.9 to call upon, in the form of 33-year-old Joselu, who has predictably been unable to fill the boots of Karim Benzema.
Meanwhile, the bench is populated by players like Dani Ceballos and Lucas Vazquez, who have served the club admirably but don't have the capacity to have a game-changing impact. There is a sense that Ancelotti is overachieving given the current state of the squad, but he won't be excused if Madrid suffer another humiliating Champions League exit.
