Real Madrid 2-0 RB Leipzig: Fede Valverde scores again to help Carlo Ancelotti’s champions win

Fede Valverde scored his second goal in two games to help Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over a lively RB Leipzig. 

It wasn’t quite as good as his strike at the weekend when he ran half the length of the pitch to score but it was another reminder that an already very complete midfielder is adding regular goals to his game.

The Fede express didn’t arrive until 10 minutes from time and it changed the mood in the Bernabeu. Madrid’s fans were spoilt with the spectacular last season and they were bored by a tepid first half from the home side.

The Uruguayan midfielder steamed in from the right and bent a left-footed shot into the net

They even booed Marco Asensio when he came on as a second half sub. He got the second goal to turn the whistles to applause.

Vinicius started the move for the opener, crossing from the left. Rodrygo ran over the ball for Valverde who steamed in from the right and bent a left foot shot past Leipzig keeper Peter Gulacsi.

Valverde at least deserved to be on the winning side. He had been outstanding throughout on a night when Madrid missed Karim Benzema in attack and the passing of Toni Kroos, left on the bench until late on.

A half time lead for Leipzig would not have been undeserved. Timo Werner found Christopher Nkunku with a pass over the top midway through the first period and it nearly brought the opening goal.

He was played on side by Dani Carvajal and honed in on Thibaut Courtois’ goal. A combination of the Belgian keeper and Aurelien Tchouameni foiled him but the midfielder had crunched into Courtois and the keeper held his knee for several nervy seconds.

Werner worked his magic again ten minutes before the break and his pass across the face of the six-yard box was so nearly turned in by Nkunku sliding in at the back post. There was no news of Madrid in attack. 

Without the still-injured Benzema, Carlo Ancelotti had started with Rodrygo either side of Valverde and Vinicius. But the front three were being well contained and with Luka Modric subdued in midfield and Kroos on the bench Madrid were flat.

Rodrygo glanced a header wide and Modric sent a shot from the edge of the area to the same advertising hoarding behind Gulacsi’s goal. But there was little else. 

Modric wanted a penalty just before the break but Emil Forsberg had got enough on the ball and not enough on the player to warrant a spot-kick according to referee Mauricio Mariani.

On the hour Ancelotti had seen enough and brought on Asensio for Eduardo Camavinga. The Bernabeu whistled and jeered the player coming on.

Marco Asensio (centre) was booed when he came on but scored the second in stoppage time

Asensio had thrown a bib down in frustration as an unused substitute in the second half of Madrid’s win over Mallorca. That, and the apparent desire to move on in the summer, had not been forgotten.

The change almost worked immediately. Valverde broke from his own half and squared for Rodrygo. He played to Vinicius and when Gulacsi saved the ball came out to Asensio but he choose to lob delicately and his effort cleared the crossbar.

Valverde combined delicacy with raw power to break the deadlock and when Asensio got a redemptive second, everyone on the Madrid side, even the substitute, was happy. 

Elsewhere in Group F, Celtic drew 1-1 against Ukrainian side Shakhar Donetsk in Warsaw, with Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops taking the lead via an Artem Bondarenko own goal before Mykhaylo Mudryk equalised.