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Real Madrid travelled to the Jan Breydei Stadium with their involvement in the knockout stages confirmed. Los Blancos were second in Group A after 5 games, 5 points behind Paris Saint-Germain, who were guaranteed a first-place finish irrespective of their result against Galatasaray. Their opponents on Wednesday, Club Brugge, were a further 5 points behind them, so the fate of the group was effectively sealed ahead of the game.
However, the Belgian side needed a win to confirm their involvement in the Europa League. The Spanish giants, on the other hand, were looking to end their group stage on a high, to gain momentum ahead of the El Clasico, which is around the corner.
On the night, Real Madrid finished their group stage campaign on a high, as a spirited second-half showing earned them a well deserved 3-1 victory against their Belgian opponents.
Zinedine Zidane’s men were unbeaten in their last 3 games in the Champions League and continued to be without at least 5 first team members, who were still missing due to injury. While Eden Hazard and Marcelo had not recovered in time to travel to Belgium, the Frenchman had also elected to rest Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos for the trip.
However, Zidane still had enough depth in his squad to secure a positive result on the night and he named his team accordingly. Both clubs had chances to score in the first half but lacked precision in front of goal. As such, the game went into the break with the scoreline evenly poised at 0-0. After the break, the away side picked up the pace and took the lead through Rodrygo in the 53rd minute.
However, the home side responded almost immediately, scoring the equalizer through Hans Vanaken 2 minutes later. Vinicius Jr then restored Real’s lead in the 64th minute. Modric scored Real’s third of the night in the 91st minute to seal all 3 points.
As Los Blancos finished second in their group and comfortably sealed qualification to the knockout stages, here are the hits and flops from the game.
Hit: Hans Vanaken
The 27-year-old midfielder was the pick of the Club Brugge players on the night. Hans Vanaken had 70 touches on the ball and attempted 55 passes with an 85% passing completion rate. His drive and urgency in midfield kept the home side in the game for the majority of the night. The Belgian also completed both of his dribbles, the joint highest in his team.
Right after Real Madrid scored the first goal, the home side were in the danger of facing an onslaught from the La Liga giants. However, Vanaken ensured that this team were right back in the game after he scored the goal of the game in the 55th minute.
Receiving the ball just inside the box, the Belgian opened up his body and unleashed a curling effort that crept in beautifully into the far post. It was a goal that gave Club Brugge a glimmer of hope and also ensured that they fought on right until the last minute.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers
Flop: Ferland Mendy
The Frenchman made the news last weekend after picking up his second yellow in the game against Espanyol. Thankfully though, it did not have too much impact on the game, as Real Madrid was already leading 2-0.
Mendy got another chance to impress Zidane against Club Brugge but failed to make a mark on the night. The Frenchman registered only his 8th start of the season and the second in the Champions League, as Real Madrid rested a few big names on the night.
Mendy showed glimpses of his talent by combining well with Vinicius Jr on a couple of occasions in the first half but lacked the drive in the final third. He did defend his flank well but showed very little incentive going forward. The Frenchman saw a lot of the ball but did very little of note with it.
Hit: Vinicius Jr
Zidane has been warming up to Vinicius Jr of late after the Brazilian put in a stellar shift after another. The former Flamengo man joined Real Madrid last season and showed a lot of promise before an unfortunate injury ended his season prematurely. This year, the youngster has been in and out of the team, especially in the league, as Zidane has been assessing his options.
Against Club Brugge however, he gave the Frenchman a timely reminder of his qualities. The Brazilian started from the left-wing and was a constant threat for the home defence with his direct runs and trickery. The youngster also combined well with Rodrygo and Jovic, but like the rest of the Real Madrid attack, he could not find a breakthrough in the first half. However, the Brazilian rose to the occasion after the break.
When Vanaken scored the equalizer for the home side, it looked like it could be a long night for Los Blancos. However, in the 64th minute, the Brazilian found the ball at his feet at the end of a goalmouth melee and expertly put it into the net from close range. It was the goal that gave Real Madrid the momentum required to end the night with a win.
Flop: Simon Mignolet
The former Liverpool goalkeeper had a night to forget and did very little other than picking the ball out of the net 3 times. Simon Mignolet had joined the Belgian side from Liverpool in the summer of this year and perhaps had a point to prove after playing second fiddle to the outstanding Alisson last season.
The Belgian has been impressive in the league so far, managing 10 clean sheets from 15 games, but it has been an entirely different story in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the game on Wednesday, Mignolet had managed just 1 clean sheet in the previous 5 games in the tournament and that record did not improve on the night.
The former Liverpool shot-stopper made just 1 save in the entire game and allowed Rodrygo to score past him early in the second half. Mignolet then failed to take charge as Real Madrid took advantage of a goalmouth scuffle to score through Vinicius Jr. There wasn’t much he could do for the Modric's strike either, as he looked helpless between the sticks for the home side.
Hit: Rodrygo
The Brazilian joined Real Madrid this summer and has impressed with his performances on the pitch so far. Rodrygo made his mark with a hattrick against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the season and earned another call to the first team against Club Brugge. The Brazilian was a part of a very young Real Madrid frontline on the night, but they were prudent enough to keep the home defence on their toes.
Rodrygo’s speed on the break and his technical abilities caught the eye on the night. The Brazilian was very good with the ball at his feet but struggled to produce the goods in the final third in the first half. After the break though, Rodrygo finally made his mark on the game.
As Real Madrid embarked on an impressive counter-attack, Odriozola broke free on the right-hand side and sent in a delightful cross to Rodrygo. The Brazilian hit it first time on the volley, past Mignolet into the far corner and gave his side the lead. He was also involved in carving out the goal for his countryman Vinicius Jr and enhanced his reputation with another stellar showing in Europe.
