Real Madrid, who have lifted the Champions League trophy 14 times, struggled to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a score of 1-1 on Wednesday, knocking out RB Leipzig 2-1 on aggregate. The record-setting champions were far from performing at their best, but only narrowly eliminated their opponents from the Bundesliga over two legs.
Although Leipzig controlled the tempo of the game, Vinicius Júnior opened the scoring on 65 minutes from Jude Bellingham's clever cross.
Orban quickly equalised for the visitors, but they failed to score a second goal to send the game into extra-time.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said his team was not performing well and was not prepared on a psychological level.
We played badly, we lacked intensity, we were worried ......The psychological factor has seriously affected our game," Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.
We were playing against a quality team who were fearless and we were timidity from start to finish – we had difficulties but the important thing was to get to the quarter-finals. ”
Carlo Ancelotti warned his players before the game that they would need to put in their best performances to progress, and prudently employed a midfield four to protect Bellingham and Vinicius.
The Italian coach pushed Tchouameni into a central midfield position while bringing on Camavinga, Ernesto Valverde and Kroos to protect their 1-0 lead in the first leg.
However, Carlo Ancelotti's tactics both limited Real Madrid's attack and failed to completely contain Leipzig.
It wasn't our best day, but we have to be happy because the goal has been accomplished," said Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez.
When things don't go well, you have to fight, fight and play games like today for you to grow and learn. ”
In the first half, the Germans were dominant, although it wasn't until near the end of the second half that really clear scoring chances were created.
Andre Lunin saved Simons, a loan from Paris Saint-Germain, while Oppenda's shot went just wide.
In the second half, Carlo Ancelotti brought on Rodrygo in place of Camavinga and reverted to a more traditional formation.
That gave both sides more chances, with Vinicius starting to make a bigger impact after the first half's silence – though not always positively. The Brazilian was booked for knocking down Orban from behind and pushing the Leipzig captain.
However, Vinicius quickly turned his frustration into joy. Bellingham made a decisive pass and allowed Vinicius, who was free from the defence, to shoot the ball into the top corner of the net with a beautiful counter-attack.
Kroos launched the counter-attack, and despite being outnumbered, Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. showed their game-making skills to give the home side the lead.
However, Real Madrid's joy was short-lived, with Orban equalising just three minutes later.
The Hungarian defender added a thrill to the game with a header from David Raum's pass.
Real Madrid substitute Jouselu had a flimsy shot that was easily cleared away by Leipzig goalkeeper Gulac, before Olmo's lob shot hit the crossbar.
The former Barcelona youngster's volley hit the crossbar and bounced off the pitch, leaving thousands of Real Madrid fans holding their breath.
The most successful team in European history struggled on a tense night against Leipzig, coached by Marco Roze and founded in 2009, but gritted their teeth and advanced to the next round.
If you add up the 180 minutes, we obviously had the better chances – I don't know how they scored today," Leipzig defender Henrich told reporters.