MADRID – Real Madrid, the most successful club in the history of the Europa League, narrowly avoided a shocking elimination on Tuesday, clinging to a 2-1 aggregate victory over RB Leipzig to reach the quarterfinals for the 12th time in the past 14 seasons.
It was a dramatic night at the Santiago Bernabéu as the 14-time champions, holding a narrow 1-0 lead from the first leg in Germany, were outplayed for long stretches by the hard-charging Leipzig side. Los Blancos escaped only after weathering a furious second-half onslaught in which their opponents struck the woodwork and had a potential winning goal controversially waved off.
“We were poor, lacking tension and full of worries,” said a candid Carlo Ancelotti after the nervy 1-1 draw on the night. “The psychological aspect affected our game to a great extent. Leipzig has the strength and courage to push forward. We played like we had the brakes on from start to finish.”
Indeed, it was a pale imitation of the swaggering Real Madrid that has become synonymous with this competition over the past decade and a half. The hosts mustered just three shots on target all match as Leipzig controlled possession and created the bulk of the chances with 20 attempts.
“Sometimes the team doesn’t perform up to its capabilities, and this was one of those nights,” said a frustrated captain Nacho Fernández. “It’s a lesson we have to learn from.”
The warning signs were there from the opening whistle as the visitors swarmed forward, pinning Real Madrid back in their defensive third. Defenders Willi Orban and Mohamed Simakan both forced saves from Thibaut Courtois during a steady Leipzig barrage in the first half-hour.
At the other end, an out-of-sorts Real attack struggled to gain any foothold. Both VinÃcius Júnior and Rodrygo missed golden opportunities to extend the aggregate lead before the break as Marco Rose’s men continued to ask Questions of the Real rearguard.
Seeking a spark, Ancelotti made an attacking move just before the hour mark, introducing Rodrygo for midfield metronome Dani Ceballos. And it briefly had the desired effect, as Real took the lead in the tie through VinÃcius.
Picking up a pass from the excellent Jude Bellingham on the counter, the Brazilian winger showed his usual electric pace to race past Orban before slotting coolly past the onrushing Janis Blaswich.
Leipzig, to their immense credit, continued to pour forward undeterred even as their Europa League dream appeared to be slipping away. And they were rewarded for their tenacity in the 68th minute when Orban rose highest to power home a headed equalizer from a corner.
Suddenly the momentum had shifted as Real looked increasingly ragged. The Germans thought they had completed an incredible comeback when Orban nodded in again with eight minutes remaining, only for the goal to be ruled out for the slightest of offsides after an agonizing VAR review.
Andre Silva then rattled the crossbar with a thunderous drive as Leipzig went agonizingly close to scoring the winner their performance deserved on the night. But Real managed to cling on by their fingernails, ensuring progress to the quarterfinals despite their distinctly underwhelming display.
“We are in pain, but the important thing is we are through to the next round,” Ancelotti reflected. “Sometimes you have to grind out results even when you don’t play well.”
The Italian will know his team cannot afford a repeat performance in the latter stages, where the margin for error will only continue to shrink. But after a harrowing night at the Bernabéu, Real remain on course to add to their record 14 Europa League titles.
The victory was a relief for the club amid the backdrop of separate disciplinary cases involving both Ancelotti and Bellingham. Prior to the match, Spanish authorities accused Ancelotti of tax evasion totaling over €1 million from failing to properly declare image rights income in 2014 and 2015 during his first spell at the club.
Meanwhile, Bellingham was suspended for two La Liga matches by the Spanish FA for dissent after being sent off against Valencia over the weekend. The 20-year-old England international called the ban “ridiculous” on social media.
But those off-field distractions were put aside, at least temporarily, as Real turned their attentions to advancing on the European front. Their quarterfinal opponent will be determined when the draw is held on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland.
