Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 victory over RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, thanks to a stunning goal by Brahim Diaz.
The Spanish midfielder, who started in place of the injured Jude Bellingham, curled a beautiful finish into the top corner three minutes after half-time to give Real the win in Germany.
The former Manchester City man turned on the right touchline, beat two players, and danced past several others before curling the ball into the top corner.
Leipzig came close to equalising on several occasions, while Vinicius Jr struck the outside of the post after being set through by Diaz.
However, Real’s defence held firm, thanks in part to the heroics of goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who kept a clean sheet despite Leipzig having nine shots on target.
The decision to disallow Benjamin Sesko’s second-minute header for offside also went in Real’s favour, ensuring that they took a slender lead back to Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg on March 6.
With this victory, Real Madrid are well-positioned to reach the quarter-finals for the 12th time in the past 14 seasons.
