Real Madrid 1-1 Leipzig (agg: 2-1): Los Blancos through after nervy draw

Real Madrid are through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals despite a spirited Leipzig performance in the Spanish capital, where the German outfit threatened to overturn their first-leg deficit after Willi Orbán's header cancelled out Vinícius Júnior's impressive opener.

Match in brief: Real Madrid squeeze into last eight

Jude Bellingham accepts the acclaim for his assistGetty Images

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti made two alterations from the 1-0 first-leg success, with match winner Brahim Díaz making way and forward Rodrygo also settling for a place on the substitutes' bench, as the hosts' leading scorer this term, Jude Bellingham, slotted in behind lone front man Vinícius Júnior.

That approach did not pay off in the first half as the visitors carved out the best opportunities to open the scoring, with Loïs Openda sending three efforts wide – including a pair in the space of three minutes – and Xavi Simons forcing Andriy Lunin into a save with the only shot on target of the opening 45 minutes.

The Madrid goalkeeper made a total of nine stops in the first leg in Leipzig and was forced into diving at the feet of Openda early in the second half, recovering sufficiently to prevent him from slotting in from a tight angle after the Belgian international had utilised his pace to nudge the ball past the onrushing No13.

The introduction of Rodrygo at half-time looked to provide Los Blancos with some attacking impetus, and it was the 23-year-old who finally forced Péter Gulácsi into action, turning behind the substitute's fierce strike following an exchange of passes with Dani Carvajal.

Moments later, the hosts doubled their advantage across the tie, with Vinícius Júnior applying a powerful finish from a fine counter instigated by Bellingham's driving run.

Willi Orbán's glancing header drew Leipzig levelGetty Images

However, Marco Rose's men maintained their intensity and pulled level on the night thanks to a deft finish from captain Willi Orbán, sending a glancing header into the far corner of the net from David Raum's inviting cross.

Leipzig pushed the 14-time winners close to extra time as the game wore on, with goalscorer Orbán almost doubling his tally after connecting powerfully with Raum's delivery once more and Dani Olmo's looping effort striking the top of the bar late on, but the Bundesliga team could not find the aggregate leveller to force an additional 30 minutes.

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Willi Orbán (Leipzig)

"An excellent leader at the back who displayed great spirit. He scored a fine goal and put in a great performance."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Graham Hunter, Real Madrid reporter

While neutrals will have been on the edge of their seats, the Madridistas will have chewed down to the very bottom of their fingernails. This was drama, this was tension as directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Los Blancos mixed brilliance – that goal from Vinícius Júnior was five-star – with a decidedly unusual night of imprecision. Leipzig were superb rivals. This was the Champions League with everything on the line. Terrific night.

Judith Tuffentsammer, Leipzig reporter

Leipzig fought valiantly throughout but were unable to score the two goals they needed to help decide the tie in their favour. For much of the game, they were arguably the better team – but ultimately struggled to seize their chances, of which they had more than they probably expected. They knew they might need a little bit of luck and, in the end, it wasn't meant to be.

Reaction 

Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach, speaking to Movistar: "We were playing opponents who had loads of quality but came here with nothing to lose. My team played within themselves. Naturally, that meant we were forced to suffer, but the only important thing is that we are in the quarter-finals."

Nacho, Real Madrid captain: "The first thing to say is we've met our objective, which was to go through. We all know that this wasn't our best performance of the season, but sometimes you need to suffer through a bad game. Leipzig were terrific."

Marco Rose, Leipzig coach: "We did feel like we had their number at times today. I respect Real Madrid a lot: the whole team, and I congratulate them on making it through. But I have to praise my team. To travel here in a knockout game with such a result from the first leg and to show that you really believe, that's something extraordinary."

Benjamin Henrichs, Leipzig defender, speaking to DAZN: "We can take a lot from this game, but right now it's just super disappointing because you can see that we were on a par with them. We had great chances, especially here in this stadium. We played so well and it's so tough that we're out."

Willi Orbán, Leipzig captain, speaking to DAZN: "Overall, our performance in both matches was good, but we could've made more of it. We didn't reward ourselves for all the hard work, so it's bitter today. We had so many great chances that you need to make the most of."

Frustration for Dani Olmo, who hit the woodwork in added timeGetty Images

Key stats

• Madrid have failed to score in just one of their last 72 home fixtures in this competition.
• Bellingham has been directly involved in eight goals across his six Champions League appearances for the club, scoring four and creating a further four.
• Leipzig denied Real Madrid a club record, ending their hopes of posting eight successive wins to start the season in this tournament for the very first time.
• Real Madrid have now reached the last eight of the Champions League in 12 of the last 14 campaigns.
• Visiting skipper Orbán registered his first goal in the competition since October 2017.

Fantasy star performers

Willi Orbán: 11 points
David Raum: 5 points
Jude Bellingham: 5 points
Vinícius Júnior: 5 points

Line-ups

Real Madrid: Lunin; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos (Modrić 78), Camavinga (Rodrygo 46); Bellingham (Joselu 85); Vinícius Júnior

Leipzig: Gulácsi; Henrichs, Lukeba, Orbán, Raum; Olmo, Haidara (Kampl 90), Schlager (Elmas 85), Simons; Openda (Poulsen 77), Šeško (Baumgartner 85)