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Real Madrid emerged from inside the granite rock on which the Braga stadium stands with more unease than expected after chewing out a rival that had always extended its Champions League games to the last line of the timer. Ancelotti’s team have extended their win total in their European Cup group and are close to the last 16, but left Portugal with Saturday’s classic in their sights amid concerns about the discomfort with which they left the field. Jude Bellingham, who also increased his goal total: three in three games. Real won narrowly, although the initial outlook suggested that things would turn out differently.
1
Matheus Magalhaes, Cristian Borja, Joe Mendes, Serdar Saatci, Sikou Niakate, Álvaro Djaló, Rodrigo Zalazar, Vitor Carvalho, Elmutasem El Masrati (Moutinho, min. 78), Horta and Simon Banza (Abel Ruiz, min. 66)
2
Arrizabalaga, Fran Garcia (Ferland Mendy, Min. 75), Nacho, Dani Carvajal, Rüdiger, Jude Bellingham (Lucas Vázquez, Min. 89), Modric, Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo (Aurelien Tchouameni, Min. 70)
Goals 0-1 min 16: Rodrygo. 0-2 min 60: Jude Bellingham. 1-2 min 62: Álvaro Djaló.
referee Michael Oliver
Yellow cards Camavinga (min. 72) and Nacho (min. 93)
It was not easy to see for whom Braga’s plan was more of a trap, with a very advanced defense that was always thinking of moving towards Kepa’s goal. At first glance, ruthlessness. Vinicius wanted to attack them with a frightening series of runs in the open field. But perhaps it was also a bait to provoke Madrid’s haste, constantly invited to seek reward in the Brazilian’s gallop.
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He looked for this route very early on and started with two diagonal passes from Rüdiger from his small hill at the back. These deliveries did not reach Vini, but they sensed the intentions of the team, who were very tempted by the invitation.
Braga had already suffered badly the previous day in its visit to Unión Berlin, which took advantage of the space behind the defenders and took a 2-0 lead. Although the Portuguese came back in the end. This is a team that rarely takes a break in its search for the opponent’s goal. The Libyan Al Musrati and Zalazar, son of the famous midfielder from Benito Floro’s brilliant Albacete, push from the middle. And the Swede Jo Mendes on the right and the Colombian Cristian Borja on the left accelerate on the outside. Without further ado. Until he frightened Kepa in his area, made easier by the blocks from Bellingham and Rüdiger.
Madrid endured the excitement of Artur Jorge’s side as they waited for the final pass, while Camavinga this time occupied the center of the field as a midfielder, accompanied by the energetic Valverde and Luka Modric, who tried to mix things up a bit. But the game was about direct shots and while the Croatian claimed to be chewing through the game, Nacho again looked for the run of Vinicius, who caught the ball a meter in front of Serdar. But as he advanced towards the goal he got tangled up and the central defender regained his place. Since his return from injury, the Brazilian is no longer progressing as well as before. However, he outwitted the Turkish defender and got the ball to where Rodrygo and Niakaté went. After two months and almost a thousand minutes, the Brazilian scored again. A relief.
Real Madrid’s French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga tries to stop the advance of Sporting Braga’s Spanish midfielder Alvaro Djalo. MIGUEL RIOPA (AFP)
Although it took a while for the game to change. The panorama of an expectant and direct Madrid and a spirited Braga remained. And as he progressed, Vinicius became more sophisticated and Serdar matured, constantly challenged by the Brazilian, who was tireless in his efforts despite not finding many outlets in his once-revealing dribbling. But something was happening there, as the Brazilian was meeting Bellingham more and more often.
The passage through the dressing room initiated a phase in which Madrid spent a little more time preparing. He then dominated with the ball, having done so by controlling space and watching from the back until wasteland opened up behind the defence. However, when he struck again, he struck again while running. Valverde read Rodrygo’s unmarking almost to the millimeter with a defender. Vinicius almost missed his pass to the other side. But he held on and found Bellingham in front. His shot had surgical precision, and with that precision he extended his deadly metronome trajectory: three Champions League games with Madrid, three goals.
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The goal caused something unexpected: instead of lowering their head, Braga moved. The answer came almost immediately from Álvaro Djaló, a 24-year-old footballer born in Madrid, raised in Bilbao and of Guinean nationality who emigrated to Portugal as a teenager. They still had life left and Artur Jorge still had weapons on the bench: he brought on two strikers, Bruma and Spaniard Abel Ruiz, nine from the U21 team. There was an exchange of blows in which a very close shot from Horta hit Kepa. Ancelotti failed to quell the uprising even when he deployed Mendy and Tchouameni, Rodrygo and Fran García, which was shaky in defense. Nevertheless, Abel Ruiz and Vinicius were there again for the goal. Madrid emerged from the change still as group leaders, albeit with Bellingham’s doubts about the classic.
Antonio Rüdiger towers over the other players and ends the game with a header. Associated Press/LaPresse (APS)
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