RB Leipzig suffered a 4-1 defeat at Real Madrid in their third Champions League group stage match. The German side showed a brave performance in the first half and created the better chances, but were ultimately undone by goals from Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler and two late strikes.
Manager Martin Demichelis's team started fearlessly at the Bernabéu, putting their 6-1 loss at Bayern Munich behind them initially. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for the hosts in the 43rd minute, after RB goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt had made strong saves earlier. Arda Güler made it 2-0 just seven minutes after the restart. Leipzig kept fighting and Tidiam Gomis pulled a goal back in the 85th minute. In a frantic finale, however, former Leipzig player Yan Diomande scored to make it 3-1 before Kylian Mbappé sealed the 4-1 result.
Demichelis spots positives
Despite the clear defeat, Martin Demichelis saw encouraging signs. "We played a really good away game for a long time and were a match for the opponent for large stretches," the manager said. The statistics back him up: Leipzig had two clear chances in the first half that Real keeper Thibaut Courtois denied. Demichelis stressed that his team had learned the lesson from the Bayern thrashing and now showed a different, more stable attitude. He conceded, however, that the efficiency in the decisive moments was missing, while Real Madrid executed their chances with ice-cold precision.
The loss is a setback in the battle for the knockout stages. After three matchdays, RB Leipzig have three points and sit second in the group behind Real Madrid (9 points) and ahead of PSV Eindhoven. Attention now turns swiftly to the Bundesliga, where VfL Bochum await on Saturday. In the standings, Leipzig currently occupy seventh place. A boost for the challenges ahead is the return of Christoph Baumgartner, who came on as a substitute in Madrid after a long injury layoff. Demichelis expressed relief to have the Austrian back in the squad, as he can provide important impetus. The next Champions League fixture is the return leg against Real Madrid on November 12 in Leipzig, which now becomes a de facto final for Leipzig in the fight for second place in the group.
