RB Leipzig Falls Short Against Real Madrid's Royal Dominance

A bold start, a disappointing finish: RB Leipzig lost 1-4 (0-1) to Real Madrid and remains winless in its fifth consecutive away competitive match. After the humiliating 1-6 defeat in Munich, coach Martín Demichelis’s team showed a different side at times, but that was all they could manage in front of 80,000 spectators at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. 

Bernardo Silva (44th minute) gave Real the lead, before Arda Güler (52nd) and Kylian Mbappé (82nd) sealed the deal. Tidiam Gomis at least pulled one back to make it 1–3 in the 85th minute, before former Leipzig player Yan Diomande sealed the final score with a dream goal (87th minute). 

Rüdiger is in the starting lineup

Before the game, former Leipzig player Ibrahima Konaté and Diomande—who joined Real this summer for 125 million euros—high-fived the entire Leipzig bench. As announced, the Ivorian had to make way for Vinicius Junior, who was suspended for the league match. For Konaté, coach José Mourinho rotated former national team player Antonio Rüdiger into central defense. In total, he made five changes ahead of this Saturday’s El Clásico (9:00 p.m./DAZN) at FC Barcelona.

Demichelis had called for “courage and character” against the Royal Club’s star-studded lineup. “We have an obligation to show a different side of ourselves here,” Demichelis said to DAZN before kickoff. As expected, Lukas Klostermann—who was overwhelmed in the 1-6 loss in Munich—was replaced by Ridle Baku. Romulo started up front. Nicolas Seiwald also moved into the starting lineup for Leipzig in place of Ezechiel Banzuzi; Leipzig had won only one away game so far this season—a 6-0 victory over Regionalliga side Eintracht Trier in the DFB-Pokal. That was followed by a 1–3 loss in Bremen, a 1–4 defeat in the Champions League in Como, a 0–2 loss in Leverkusen, and the rout in Munich.

Leipzig got off to a good start, pressing high up the field and creating the first good chance. Romulo, who had broken free, was brought down at the last moment by the experienced Rüdiger (7th minute) with a chest block inside the penalty area. Real had more possession and waited patiently for their first moment of brilliance. After a quarter of an hour, the pressure intensified. Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé used their speed to leave the RB defense reeling several times. But Leipzig had the best chance to take the lead: Thibaut Courtois prevented the 0–1 with a world-class save against Romulo (28th minute). 

Strong Belgian goalkeeper duel

In response, 24-year-old Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt showed his skills against a long-range shot by Vinicius. Fun fact: The matchup between the two Belgian national team goalkeepers, Courtois and Vandevoordt, was also a duel between an idol and a fan. Since childhood, Vandevoordt—who is ten years younger—has looked up to his older role model, who was once again on his guard against Christopher Nkunku in the 41st minute. 

Baumgartner’s comeback

When Vandevoordt briefly lost sight of a deflected ball after a double save with his feet, Bernardo Silva followed up to give Real the lead. The RB goalkeeper prevented the score from becoming 2-0 with a monster save against Vinicius (45'+1). After the break, Vandevoordt stopped a thunderous shot from Fede Valverde. Then Kylian Mbappé (52') headed the ball against the direction of Vandevoordt’s dive—Güler only had to tap it over the line. In the second half, Leipzig could barely break free and created very few offensive opportunities. Demichelis brought on fresh legs after an hour, substituting Rocco Reitz and Andrija Maksimovic.

Leipzig’s star signing, Diomande, then came on for Real in the 70th minute to face his former club—and rewarded himself with a stunning first-time volley. RB Leipzig found hope in the return of Christoph Baumgartner, who immediately set up Gomis.