Champions League

Real Madrid against RB Leipzig from 9pm LIVE

Real Madrid have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League!(Bild: AFP)

Close, but still: Real Madrid have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League! The Spaniards had a tough time against RB Leipzig, shaking off a 1:1 draw that was enough to progress after the 1:0 win in Germany. 

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti received negative news on Wednesday: The Spanish public prosecutor's office is demanding a prison sentence of four years and nine months for the Italian coach for tax evasion, according to the authorities. The 64-year-old is accused of evading more than one million euros in taxes in 2014 and 2015.

Whistling from the stands
On the pitch, things did not go according to plan for his team before the break. The Spaniards were harmless in attack and vulnerable in defense. It was only thanks to the Germans' lack of efficiency that the score remained 0-0. Lois Openda (13, 16, 42) missed three times and a shot from Xavi Simons was parried (41). The Madrid star players were sent off with a whistle from the stands.

Vinicius Junior scores after a great assist from Bellingham
There was a noticeable improvement after the restart and the third chance led to success. Vinicius Junior (65) was successful after great preparatory work by Jude Bellingham. The game was by no means over and the "Bulls" reacted immediately. A Simons shot was blocked in the corner, but Willi Orban (68) equalized with a header after a cross from the area.

After that, several more shots were fired at the Real goal, guarded by Andrij Lunin, in which the ball almost rattled in the 92nd minute. Dani Olmo struck the crossbar with a sensitive volley. That was also very bitter for Christoph Baumgartner, who came on as a substitute in the 85th minute, and his compatriot Xaver Schlager, who had been playing up to that point. Nicolas Seiwald was only on the bench.

Leipzig thus failed to win in the knockout phase for the seventh time in a row.