Champions League55 min ago2 minute read

Real Madrid Beat Leipzig 4-1 as Diomande and Mbappe Shine

Yan Diomande and Kylian Mbappe scored fine goals as Real Madrid beat Leipzig 4-1, though Vinicius Junior faced whistles from the home crowd.

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Diomande makes his mark

Real Madrid secured a 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig on Wednesday at the Bernabeu. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring to put the home team ahead before the break. Madrid pulled clear in the second half with goals from Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe, and Yan Diomande.

Diomande came off the bench on 70 minutes to replace Vinicius Junior and produced the highlight of the night. The Ivory Coast forward struck a volley from a Brahim Diaz pass straight into the top corner. He also set up Mbappe earlier in the half. Diomande now has three goals in his last four matches, finding his form after going scoreless in his first eight appearances following his summer move from Leipzig for a fee worth up to 140 million euros.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho praised the attacking pair. Mourinho said the fans went home happy watching the duo of Mbappe and Diomande.

Whistles for Vinicius

While Diomande made an instant impact, Vinicius Junior had a harder night. Some supporters in the stands whistled the winger, who has faced crowd frustration over the past year despite signing a new long contract in the summer.

Mourinho defended his player after the match. The coach said that Vinicius had a good game tactically and noted that the Leipzig keeper made a great save to stop him from scoring. Mourinho explained that hearing negative reactions at home is painful for any player. He said that when you are whistled away from home it is a source of motivation, but when you are whistled at home it hurts you.

Mbappe also offered support for his teammate. Mbappe said Vinicius needs to be calm and proud of who he is, adding that his confidence will return.

What it means for the next game

Real Madrid head into their next league match without Vinicius, who is suspended for the trip to Barcelona. RB Leipzig return home to focus on domestic duties after the loss in Spain.

RB Leipzig vs SV Elversberg (Bundesliga, Sat, 24 Oct): RB Leipzig win 66%, draw 19%, SV Elversberg win 15%; expected goals 2.37 to 1.06. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid (LaLiga, Sun, 25 Oct): Barcelona win 62%, draw 19%, Real Madrid win 20%; expected goals 2.62 to 1.47. Our safest pick: Barcelona or Draw.