Real Madrid 2-0 RB Leipzig: Three Things We Learned

Another set of group stage fixtures have been and gone in the Champions League and we’re already starting to get a good idea of who will be the leading contenders in the race to qualify for the knockouts.

One intriguing game that went down was at the Bernabeu where Real Madrid went toe to toe with German side RB Leipzig. In what proved to be a far tighter clash than many had anticipated, Real beat Leipzig 2-0.

Here are a few things we took away from what went down.

Leipzig’s strong showing

They looked strong in possession, they were gritty, and they were a far cry from the team that got humbled in their opener. Leipzig needed to prove that they’re serious about making a push for the last 16 and that’s precisely what they did, and although the two late goals would’ve hurt their morale, there’s no shame in losing to what many consider to be the best team in Europe.

Carlo’s big night

Carlo Ancelotti became just the second manager to win 100 games in the Champions League last night, leaving him just two victories behind the all-time leader Alex Ferguson. It was another showing that defined what it means to be a Real fan as they had to scratch and claw, but eventually, used their superstar names to overcome a tough side and win their first two games in the UCL for the first time in five years.

Wide open?

Real have six points, Shakhtar have four, Celtic have one and Leipzig have zero. Given that Celtic and Leipzig have shown a lot of fight despite some of their shortcomings, we’d say that is going to make for an entertaining couple of weeks. None of these teams are standard fourth place sides and we expect to see the battle for 2nd, at the very least, go all the way down to the final matchday.