Real Madrid are in a strong position to progress to the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League, having defeated RB Leipzig 1-0 in the first leg of their last 16 tie in Germany. However, the scoreline only tells half of the story, in what was a largely disappointing match for Los Blancos.
The hosts had several big chances to score, but Andriy Lunin stood tall to stop everything that came at him. The Ukrainian goalkeeper made nine saves, earning rave reviews in the process. The latest came from his head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who spoke on the 25-year-old after the full time whistle in Leipzig, as per Diario AS.
“He’s a goalkeeper who hasn’t had many minutes and he’s progressing. The fact that he’s playing is giving him confidence. I think it’s the best he’s played.”
Lunin was unable to stop Benjamin Sesko from scoring inside the opening minutes, although it was ruled out, somewhat controversial. Ancelotti addressed the matter.
“He looked offside to me. He was behind Lunin.”
Real Madrid will now look to finish the tie off in three weeks’ time, although there is plenty of La Liga action to be played before then, starting with the trip to managerless Rayo Vallecano this weekend.
