A slaloming effort from Brahim Diaz gave Real Madrid a narrow advantage in their Champions League round-of-16 match against Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu.
The first half was lit up by two stunning goals. Rodrygo put Real ahead against their city rivals just four minutes in when he cut onto his left boot and let fly past goalkeeper Jan Oblak — but Atletico dug in and Julian Alvarez responded with his own curler in the 32nd minute.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team were continually frustrated by Diego Simeone’s men, until Brahim twisted and turned past the Atleti defence in the 55th minute to set up an intriguing second leg at the Metropolitano next Wednesday.
Here, our writers analyse the key talking points following Real’s 2-1 win.
Two brilliant goals light up balanced first half
Ten minutes into this match, it looked as though Atletico — and left-back Javi Galan in particular — might be in for a rough night.
It was Galan who pushed too high in the run-up to the opening goal, almost daring Federico Valverde to ping a pass behind him and into the path of Rodrygo. Valverde was up to the task and the Brazilian did the rest, hurtling into the box and conjuring a fine left-footed finish just when the ball was threatening to get away from him.
It was Rodrygo’s 25th goal for Madrid in the Champions League — making him the fifth player to reach that tally in Europe’s premier competition for Los Blancos.
The celebrations had only just died down when Rodrygo threatened again, finding space on Galan’s blind side and tumbling under a physical challenge in the area. Referee Clement Turpin was unmoved, but the momentum seemed to be building.
Atletico, though, hunkered down and slowly began to chisel out a foothold — first in the possession stats and then on the scoresheet, courtesy of the game’s second moment of individual brilliance.
There appeared little on when Julian Alvarez picked the ball up on the corner of the Real box, not least because he was being closely monitored by Eduardo Camavinga. But Alvarez — busy, stealthy, lethal — managed to bump himself into half a metre of space and unleashed a crackerjack shot that arced beyond Thibaut Courtois and into the corner.
It was a goal from nothing, a bright little gemstone found down the back of the sofa, and it set up the second half perfectly.
Jack Lang
How vital is Valverde?
Back in November, Ancelotti joked that Valverde was the third best full-back in the world, after Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez. Valverde might be straight in at number one at this rate.
A midfielder by trade, the Uruguay international continues to excel at right-back for Real Madrid in place of the injured Carvajal, assisting at one end and defending superbly at the other, and generally playing like he has spent his entire career in that position.
Valverde had been a major doubt for this game. He missed the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg win at Real Sociedad last week and also the defeat at Real Betis on Saturday. His availability for Atletico’s visit was viewed as key and it didn’t take long to see why.
The pass that Valderde played to release Rodrygo in behind Galan was sublime, beautifully weighted, exposing the Atletico left-back’s poor positioning, and encouraging his team-mate to run in behind before scoring.
Every bit as impressive, though, were the defensive interventions that Valverde made, in particular the superb challenge inside the six-yard box – his positioning was textbook – that prevented Samuel Lino turning in Giuliano Simeone’s low centre in the first half.
Stuart James
Real are the men of the moment
How many times have we seen this with Real Madrid in European competition?
Football generally tends to follow a typical pattern. A team performs well in their general play, gaining a foothold in the game, which allows them to create chances and score goals.
In so many ways, Madrid do not follow those typical rules. It has been a hallmark of their modern history in this competition, but yet again Ancelotti’s side showed that they do not need to play well to win a game of football.
How do Real Madrid keep winning in the Champions League despite conceding so many goals?
Forget the well-rounded performance: Madrid’s key strength is providing moments of sheer individual quality, seemingly out of nowhere. The same was true on Tuesday evening, with Rodrygo’s early goal resembling something from a video game, such was the quality of his finish.
Then Brahim’s quick feet and unerring finish came at a time when Madrid were by no means in the ascendancy at the start of the second half. The goal was a sucker punch against the run of play — if it is possible to say that for the reigning champions in their own stadium against their city rivals.
Occasions like this have not just earned Madrid victories in single games, but have been a pattern that has helped them win six of the last 11 Champions League titles. When will we learn? Madrid’s ability to provide moments of magic — irrespective of team performance — is simply part of their DNA.
Mark Carey
Do Atletico have hope?
The final scoreline was a real disappointment for Atletico, considering how they were well in the game at half-time, and how often they have lost out to Madrid in this competition, but there were plenty of signs this tie is far from over.
Simeone’s team reacted well to the shock of going behind early to a goal that was avoidable, and were deservedly level at half-time through Alvarez’s superb strike. The home fans were worried during the early stages of the second half, as Atletico looked the more likely to grab a second goal, with Rodrigo De Paul appearing the most accomplished midfielder on show.
But Brahim’s second goal — another which Atletico could and should have defended better — changed the mood on the pitch and in the stadium. And Madrid began to look much more comfortable.
Simeone kept making changes from the bench, ending up with a kind of 3-4-3 shape as he tried to find an equaliser. Atletico have scored a lot of late goals this season, but this time they did not really threaten. Madrid’s ex-Atleti ’keeper Courtois was only slightly worried by one Antoine Griezmann cross-shot.
With just one goal in it though, the Metropolitano is sure to be raucous for next week’s return game. Simeone’s side will have to defend a lot better next week, and create more chances in the spells when they are on top. Madrid are now firm favourites to progress, but Atletico will still have hope.
Dermot Corrigan
What did Carlo Ancelotti say?
“The team has run, worked,” Ancelotti told his post-match press conference. “Two players made the difference, Rodrygo and Brahim. The team was compact, we didn’t press too much but that wasn’t the idea. Atletico had control at times, as we did, but when they did they didn’t create many chances.
“It could be a final or a semi-final, Atletico are a top-level team in Europe. You can’t think about finishing the tie here. The result gives us an advantage and a little bit of confidence for the second leg.”
What did Diego Simeone say?
“The best thing about the match was the reaction we had to their early goal,” Simeone told his post-match press conference, as quoted by UEFA. “The team committed to the game we wanted to play. We found the goal from Julian and we ended the first half with the feeling that we were doing well.
“I leave with the feeling that we competed well. We could have done more in terms of the goals we conceded. We must continue with this rhythm for the second leg, which will be tough and difficult, and in which we will have the support of our fans.”
What next for Real?
Sunday, March 9: Rayo Vallecano (Home), La Liga, 3.15pm UK, 10.15am ET
What next for Atletico?
Sunday, March 9: Getafe (Away), La Liga, 1pm UK, 8am ET
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(Top photo: Brahim celebrates with the fans; by Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)/AFP via Getty Images)
