Leipzig were first to get the ball into the net via Benjamin Šeško in the third minute; however, his goal did not stand following a VAR check revealing that the Slovenian striker had fouled Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in his attempt. Leipzig were made to pay for this shortly after half-time when Brahim Díaz scored a spectacular goal to put Los Merengues a goal ahead. At the final whistle, the score remained 1-0 in no small part due to an outstanding performance between the goalposts by Lunin.
We have seen this before from Real - when in the first half of the season they, while not necessarily playing poorly, still seem as though they're keeping something in the tank only to ramp things up after the halfway points of the season and coming into form at just the right time. This match and the one before it in the league against Girona are perfect examples - especially because Real won both matches in strikingly different ways.
Against Girona, Real ripped the heart right out of their closest title challengers. The club from the capital dominated right from the opening kick-off and stalling what had been one of this season's greatest stories, burying their Catalan opponents 4-0. This Champions League match against Leipzig, on the other hand, showcased Real's grit and tenacity. Despite not always having the best goalscoring chances, one always had the sense that somehow, Real would find a way - and so they did.
There's an expression which most people reading this haven't heard before, but it's one that aptly describes Real. After winning the Pokémon VGC World Championship in 2016, Wolfe Glick coined the phrase "world champion difference". While this was initially done in a tongue-in-cheek manner, he was more on the money than he might have realized - and it's an aphorism that applies to sports as well. Real are quite simply a team that "know how to win and know when to step up a gear".
Keep in mind that this is a team which won the Champions League just two years ago, are coached by arguably the greatest to ever do it in Carlo Ancelotti, and are brimming with big-match experience - and that even includes their younger players. On top of that, the thought of facing a team like Real as the Champions League reaches the sharp end has to play on opponents' minds. Such is the reputation that Real have built up, particularly on the continental stage, that in some ways they start a match with a mental edge over the team they're facing - and that can almost function as if they start a goal up.
Not only that - the victory against Leipzig was achieved in the absence of the injured Jude Bellingham. This season, the English midfielder has ascended to bona fide Ballon d'Or contender status and revealed himself as a truly generational prospect. At just 20, Bellingham is not only already Real's best player but is also likely six or seven years away from his absolute peak - a mind-melting thought indeed. The fact that Real were able to pivot so smoothly in Bellingham's absence speaks volumes of their squad's depth and cohesiveness. That's exactly what they need in their pursuit of a La Liga and Champions League double.
As well as Real have been playing recently, in some ways it still does feel as though they have another gear to reach. Should that be the case, it will be very difficult to stop their attempt to win a second Champions League in three seasons, a sixth in 11, and a record-extending 15th in total.
There are some teams which one just instinctively trusts down the stretch, when things get tight and the pressure is at its highest. Again and again, Real Madrid have proven to be such a team. While it's of course not out of the question that the wheels could suddenly fall off and things might start going wrong, based on everything that we've seen over the past decade or so, that's unlikely to say the least.
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