Beating Braga 3-0 in the fourth round, Carlo Ancelotti and his team won the first ticket to continue in group C.
Jude Bellingham was not involved with a shoulder injury, forcing Ancelotti to use Brahim Diaz in his place as an attacking midfielder. Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was initially registered as the starter, but picked up an injury during the warm-up and was replaced by Andriy Lunin.
Rodrygo increased the score to 3-0 for Real. Photo: Reuters
The disadvantage in force eventually turned out to be a good thing for Real. In the sixth minute, after Lucas Vazquez fouled Cristian Borja in the penalty area, Braga was awarded a penalty. Lunin correctly judged the direction of Alvaro Djalo's shot to the left and blocked it.
Not long after, from a ball stolen in the opponent's half by Federico Valverde, Brahim Diaz tapped the ball into the Braga net. Although this goal was disallowed due to a foul by the referee on Vinicius Junior, it was the premise for the Spanish player to open the scoring in the 27th minute. Ferland Mendy overlapped Rodrygo and Diaz was in the right place to tap the ball into the roof of the visitors' net.
Real could have gone into half-time with a bigger lead had Braga goalkeeper Matheus Magalhaes not denied Rodrygo's close-range shot. Early in the second half, after a pass from Vinicius, Diaz missed the chance to score twice when his close-range shot failed to beat Magalhaes.
Lunin saves Alvaro Djalo's early penalty kick. Photo: Reuters
The second goal came as a natural consequence for the home team. Real continued to exploit the flanks, this time on the right wing. Vazquez coordinated with Valverde and then crossed for Vinicius to get past him and finish in the penalty area, thereby doubling the score gap.
It took Real just three minutes to score the third goal. Braga's high-profile push to find an equaliser provided the perfect opportunity for the Brazilian duo Vinicus and Rodrygo to capitalise on their speed. From a counter-attack, the two players combined to tear apart Braga's defence before Rodrygo chipped the ball over Magalhaes.
In the 64th minute, Rodrygo had a chance to score twice, but his left-footed shot hit the outside of the post. The final minutes saw Braga's attempts to attack but failed. In the third minute of added time, Lunin dived to block Abel Ruiz's header, ending their opponents' hopes of scoring.
After four wins, Real have 12 points and are alone at the top of Group C. They have a five-point gap with second-placed Napoli. If they win points against the Italian club in the next round, Ancelotti's team will be sure to top the group. Braga won a match against Union Berlin in the first leg, so they have an advantage in competing for a ticket to the Europa League.
Quang Huy
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