Real Madrid continued their perfect start to the Champions League season with a decisive 4–1 win against RB Leipzig at the Bernabéu on Wednesday night.

Los Blancos controlled the early exchanges but the visitors looked menacing in transition throughout the first half. Still, when it seemed the game was destined to go scoreless to the break, Bernardo Silva was perfectly positioned to pounce after the goalkeeper was unable to clear an Arda Güler shot. The Portuguese midfielder’s finish put Real Madrid in front 43 minutes in with his first goal involvement for the club.

The goal completely changed the game as Real Madrid emphatically dominated in the second half. Less than 10 minutes after the restart, Jose Mourinho’s men doubled their advantage when Güler tapped-in a Kylian Mbappé header, stealing a goal away from the Frenchman who simply laughed as the Türkiye international went to celebrate with him.

With a two-goal advantage, Madrid put the game on cruise control and managed their efforts. Still, Mbappé scored a brilliant goal late only to be erased by Tidiam Gomis, who bagged a consolation strike for the Germans two minutes later.

But the cherry on top of the cake came in the 87th minute when Yan Diomande restored Madrid’s three-goal lead with a simply stunning volley against his former club to make it four straight games with a goal contribution for Los Blancos.

It was a mature performance from Real Madrid, who have collected three wins from three to start the Champions League campaign and will be full of confidence ahead of their mouthwatering trip to Barcelona for the first El Clásico of the season on Sunday.

The Two Minutes That Defined The Game

Although Real Madrid had a better start, RB Leipzig slowly grew into the match and started looking like the more dangerous side late in the first half, trying to catch the hosts out of position with quick counter attacks.

One of these actions came 41 minutes in when Christopher Nkunku was played through on goal with a darting run behind Madrid’s backline. With only Thibaut Courtois to beat, the Frenchman failed to properly place his shot and the Belgian added another stunning save to his ever-growing catalogue.

The miss proved costly. Only two minutes later, when Real Madrid appeared to start suffering, they produced their first attacking combination of the first half which allowed an unmarked Federico Valverde to whip in a cross that Güler nearly scored from. Still, the goalkeeper’s rebound dropped kindly for an opportunistic Silva, who tapped-in his first Real Madrid goal to give the hosts the lead two minutes from halftime.

In a matter of 120 seconds, the 15-time European champions went from praying for the halftime whistle to grabbing the lead. Nkunku had an opportunity to put the visitors in a dream position for an upset but squandered it, and Los Blancos quickly responded with the latest example of why they’re a team you simply can’t waste chances against in the Champions League.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. RB Leipzig (4-3-2-1)

GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.4: Another game, another couple of fabulous saves from the Belgian. His heroics between the sticks kept Real Madrid from falling behind in the first half.

RB: Federico Valverde—8.3: Struggled to contain the threatening Antonio Nusa one-on-one. Still, he was effective in possession and allowed Güler to drift centrally where he feels more comfortable. Dominated in the second half.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—7.2: Strong in his defensive duties but not so much when he tried to turn creator with erratic long balls from deep. Fortunately for Madrid, the former is the German’s primary assignment. Was caught out of position in Leipzig’s goal.

CB: Dean Huijsen—7.7: Timed a number of interceptions brilliantly and had the most defensive contributions of any player on the pitch. Delighted the Bernabéu crowd with a handful of line-breaking passes.

LB: Álvaro Carreras—7.4: Had a very promising start but had his problems containing Brajan Gruda. Still, it was an overall solid showing from the Spaniard.

DM: Bernardo Silva—8.3: Routinely crashed the box whenever Real Madrid attacked and was rewarded for it with his first goal since joining the club to put his side in front. Comfortable on the ball as always.

DM: Eduardo Camavinga—8.2: A very solid showing from Camavinga, who was tidy in possession and was exceptional counter-pressing, forcing turnovers high up the pitch. One of his best performances in a while.

RW: Arda Güler—8.7: The best player on the pitch. Oozing confidence and toying with markers, creating chances for fun. The bulk of Real Madrid’s most dangerous actions started with the ball at his feet.

AM: Jude Bellingham—7.6: Started the game erratically but it was another example of a match where the Englishman is asked to do too much in and out of possession. Tirelessly covered ground but much of his attacking influence was simply making runs to drag defenders with him. Improved after the break.

LW: Vinícius Júnior—7.3: Got whistled and booed after an erratic and rather careless start which seemed to light a fire under him as he went on to nearly score two screamers.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.6: Frustrated not to get looks on goal, he often tried to take on multiple defenders and was stopped instead of setting up a better positioned teammate. Still, he refused to be denied and scored a cracking goal late to seal a dominant win.

SUB: Marc Cucurella (70’ for Carreras)—6.3: Misplaced one of his 17 pass attempts during his cameo.

SUB: Yan Diomande (70’ for Vinícius)—8.0: Engaged since coming on and scored a simply beautiful volley against his former club.

SUB: Brahim Díaz (78’ for Güler)—6.7: Assisted Diomande’s screamer.

SUB: Endrick (88’ for Bellingham)—N/A

SUB: Carlos Espí (88’ for Mbappé)—N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Javi Navarro (GK), Denzel Dumfries, Éder Militao, Ibrahima Konaté, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Pitarch, Aurélien Tchouaméni.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Despite signing two of the world’s most established right backs over the past two summers in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries, Fede Valverde has started covering the right flank in the last two games. It appears Mourinho has reverted back to a strategy employed regularly by former Los Blancos managers, and the Uruguay international looked right at home at right back.
• It’s not an exaggeration to say that Arda Güler has become one of the most important players for Real Madrid’s chances of success. The 21-year-old has been fantastic this season and he could easily become one of the world’s best players if he continues in this trajectory.
• Like Hansi Flick yesterday, Mourinho rotated his side with the first El Clásico of the season looming, only the plan worked for the Portuguese boss. Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga were very strong in midfield, while Álvaro Carreras handled his business at right back. Now, players such as Marc Cucurella, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ibrahima Konaté and Yan Diomande have rested legs for Sunday’s daunting Camp Nou visit.
• There’s currently no reason for Vinícius Júnior to start ahead of Yan Diomande.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Strong Win

• Real Madrid dominated 70% of possession during the second half and limited the visitors to just two shots on goal.
• After struggling to control games recently, Los Blancos completed 91% of their passes on the night, good for 675 completed passes—almost double the amount Leipzig managed.
• Madrid’s explosive attack had 11 shots on goal all game, the same amount as Leipzig’s total shot attempts.
• Yan Diomande’s splendid volley had an xG of just 0.05.