Real Madrid beat Leipzig 1-0 in the Champions League match

It seems this season has given European football an unexpected hero. It was the recently not very highly rated Ukrainian goalkeeper Andrei Lunin, who, thanks to circumstances and his own talent, suddenly turned into the main goalkeeper of Real Madrid and actually ensured their victory – 1:0 – in the insanely difficult first match of the 1/8 finals away against ” Leipzig.”

Real Madrid’s victory, which brought it very close to the quarterfinals, was, of course, special for two reasons. The first is the nature of the match. After him, one could understand the Leipzig players, as well as everyone who was worried about this team, when they complained about referee Irfan Pelto, cursed the VAR who helped him, believing that both man and technology were against the hosts. It’s not that Pelto and the video were grossly mistaken, for example, in that most important episode two minutes after the start of the game, when Benjamin Sheshko scored with his head, and his goal was not counted. The episode was difficult, but replays still proved that at the moment Sheshko hit, his partner Benjamin Henrichs was really pushing goalkeeper Andrei Lunin, so there was a good formal reason to cancel the goal. Just the realization that you just played with a great grandee on completely equal terms and still lost, always gives rise to mortal resentment. And it must definitely be thrown out on someone. And the referee is the perfect target.

Moreover, “on equal terms” in this case is rather an understatement of Leipzig’s merits. The club, which is feverish in the German championship, which many seemed to be easy prey for Real, had the ball no less often than Madrid, and surpassed them in sharpness. But there was no favorable result.

The second reason to highlight this match is those who made the outcome unfavorable for Leipzig, which deserved something more. Well, let’s say Brahim Diaz. In fact, he is a typical bench player. But this season, Diaz often has to take the field as a starter due to misfortunes that befell his teammates. And what kind of outputs these turn out to be! Diaz recently found himself in the starting line-up in the most important league match against Atlético Madrid after Vinicius was injured in the warm-up. Real didn’t win, but the wild card’s goal earned them a draw, and without her Madrid wouldn’t have felt as comfortable at the top of the standings as they do now.

Brahim Diaz was sent to the Leipzig stadium by an injury suffered by Jude Bellingham, the club’s brightest footballer in the past months, in a meeting with Girona on Saturday. And nothing, Diaz did not shy away again, and soon after the break he scored the only goal of the match with a well-aimed shot, celebrating it with his arms spread wide to the side: those in the know appreciated the reference to the Bellingham celebrations. Apparently, the Englishman himself appreciated it, immediately reacting with a post on X (formerly Twitter): “Oh, God! Braim!

But the fate of another Madrid hero is even more surprising. A few days ago, Andrei Lunin turned 25 years old. Meanwhile, Real bought him from Zarya Luhansk back in 2018, when he was very young. However, after a while it could be decided that Madrid still made a mistake with the Ukrainian newcomer – the talent is not of such a level as to shine in an exceptional team. Lunin was loaned to Leganes and Valladolid. Then he returned to Real, but to the role of either the second or even the third goalkeeper. So, just in case there is a fireman, for insurance, without seeming to have much of a chance to rise higher.

And now the current season has begun. For Real Madrid – from a cruciate ligament rupture in Thibaut Courtois, his undisputed “number one”. But this did not mean that Andrei Lunin would be the goalkeeper. Real Madrid urgently rented the experienced Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea. He became the main one. But Lunin endured and endured – and waited for his chance.

In November, Kepa Arrizabalaga was out of action due to a thigh injury. And while he was away, it turned out that Andrei Lunin, the eternal understudy, is as calm as a goalkeeper who has been through three World Cups and five Champions League finals. And also that he has a good reaction, that he is brave at the exits. In general, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, even after Arrizabalaga returned, continued to trust Lunin, and he continued to justify his trust.

He has already played a bunch of great matches, but the match against Leipzig undoubtedly became the brightest for Andrei Lunin so far. Nine reflected blows is a colossal number. In the Champions League, among Real Madrid goalkeepers, only Thibaut Courtois managed to save so much in the 2022 final against Liverpool. Doubly beautiful, considering that the lion’s share of these shots were not warm-up shots at all – for example, the one that Benjamin Sheshko struck from a lethal distance after his canceled goal. Or those with which Sheshko, Javi Simons and Amadou Aidara tried to equalize the score in the end. But every time an impenetrable wall grew up in front of them.

Alexey Dospehov