The first leg of the Champions League’s Madrid derby had a minute left to play when the night’s unexpected hero made his way to the touchline, his number up, and the majority inside the Bernabeu rose to their feet to chant his name.
“Brahim, Brahim, Brahim…”
Along with Rodrygo, who was named the official man of the match, it was Brahim Diaz who claimed the spotlight as Real secured their narrow 2-1 advantage over Atletico. “They made the difference — they were the best,” acknowledged Carlo Ancelotti of Brahim and Rodrygo, on an occasion many thought would be dominated by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
On that pair, the manager added: “They didn’t show their qualities tonight, but they have the second leg to do that.”
Brahim, the man from Malaga, had been charged with replacing the ‘irreplaceable’ Jude Bellingham. But the 25-year-old was not daunted by that task, and it was his moment of magic 10 minutes after the interval that secured victory.
The home side’s performance had been rather disjointed, all too reminiscent of the slack display in defeat against Real Betis on Saturday. They lacked inspiration; a moment to spark them from their malaise. Then, with changes afoot and Luka Modric preparing to enter the fray from the touchline, Brahim stopped time in the box and Atletico were undone.
His goal was a nine-second compendium of his qualities.
There was a fake run forward before he darted back and into space to collect and control a pass, then a smart offload to the wing with his back to goal. He then had the intelligence and speed to elude the Atletico defence, who failed to read his scuttle down the left channel where he gathered possession once again.
Then came the coup de grace; a quick-footed dribble that left Jose Maria Gimenez dizzied and on the turf, a wriggle into space between opponents and, using Atletico’s defenders as a screen to blind Jan Oblak, a precise, curled shot guided into the far corner.
It is unclear whether Modric was due to replace Brahim. Regardless, the substitution was called off in the immediate aftermath of the Morocco international’s intervention. This was no time for a change.
The stadium erupted and, unsurprisingly, so did the main protagonist. Brahim leapt over the advertising hoarding and threw himself towards the South Stand, where the Grada Fans group congregate. He was engulfed in their celebrations.
He fired off his familiar ‘gun’ gesture, alluding to a game he played with his younger sister, and then what has become his iconic open-armed celebration — one he recently registered legally as his trademark and which apparently signifies that, with effort, anything can be achieved. Then he was off to embrace Ancelotti back on the touchline.
A few yards away stood a scowling Diego Simeone, contemplating how best to resurrect this tie.
Brahim made a point of repeatedly shouting what appeared to be “speak now” at the Argentinean. He later declined to elaborate on his outburst when asked by reporters (“No, nothing, I don’t remember”), but he had clearly been riled by comments from Simeone in the buildup to this tie in which he suggested he did not see the former Manchester City forward featuring in Madrid’s starting lineup.
Yet Atletico should know better by now. Brahim’s brilliant winner means he is the fifth Madrid player this century to score against Atletico in three competitions, joining Sergio Ramos (who has done so in four), Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo. He is keeping impressive company.
For Ancelotti and his staff, Brahim offers so much more than goals (six this season) and assists (seven). He is also the tireless, selfless player willing to run to the corner in his own half in the 86th minute to recover possession, a sprint that left him cramped up and in pain. The Bernabeu bellowed its appreciation for that defensive action almost as much as for his winner. He is a favourite.
So much so that, when asked whether it was inevitable that Brahim would settle back among the substitutes as soon as Bellingham is back from his one-match suspension, Ancelotti suggested otherwise. “It’s not true that he will return to the bench,” the Italian said. “You can’t say he’s undisputed, but he’s very important.
“He was last year and he is this year because he takes advantage of all the minutes I give him.”
The truth is that last season, Brahim played 2,094 minutes across 45 games — which made him the 15th most used player in Madrid’s squad — scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists. He was “important”, to quote Ancelotti, for the magic he would deliver; like his stunning goal in the first leg of the round of 16 tie against RB Leipzig, a stellar appearance very similar to the one summoned in Tuesday’s derby.
But Brahim wants more. He is happy at Real Madrid and in the Spanish capital, but he wants to feel integral to this side and to be able to showcase his qualities more often.
Bellingham will be available again for next Wednesday’s return leg across the city at the Metropolitano, but Brahim will be eager to start that fixture and maintain his team’s grip on the tie.
This time, Simeone will know he has to take him into account.
(Top photo: Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
