Real Madrid lose to Lille in the second round of the Champions League
Endrick starts for the first time, but Spanish team is dominated and ends 58-match unbeaten streak
END OF INVINCIBILITY
Real Madrid played poorly and were defeated by Lille on Wednesday in the second round of the Champions League. At the Pierre-Mauroy stadium, Real Madrid had Endrick’s debut as a starter, while Mbappé and Rodrygo were on the bench. The French team dominated the match, winning with a goal from Jonathan David, who scored from a penalty at the end of the first half. Carlo Ancelotti’s team had not lost since January, now ending a 37-game unbeaten streak.
THE GAME
Playing at home, Lille took the initiative and created the best opportunities of the game, especially in the first half. In the best chance, Jonathan David was stopped twice by Lunin, who saved Real. In the first half’s injury time, the referee awarded a penalty after Camavinga’s handball in the area. The Lille number 9 took the penalty well and put the team ahead. Starting for the first time for Real, Endrick created a good opportunity, where he shot into the attacking half and shot hard at the goalkeeper, who made the save.
In the second half, Ancelotti took Vinicius Junior off the left wing and put him in the centre of the attack, alongside Endrick. The Merengue team continued to fail to create any chances and were held back by Lille’s strong marking. Real’s best chance came in the 41st minute of the second half, when Vinicius Junior made a good play down the left and headed the ball to Arda Guler, who passed it into the middle of the area. Rüdiger deflected the ball and it was heading towards goal, but the defender cleared it on the line. Bellingham took a shot from the rebound and the goalkeeper made a good save. Real pressed hard towards the end, but lacked organisation to avoid defeat.
BALANCE ENDRICK HOLDER
It wasn’t a great match for Endrick. Starting for the first time for Real Madrid, the Brazilian was very isolated in the center of the attack in the first half and had to drop back a lot to find plays. In one of these moments, he ran at speed through the middle – ignoring Vini’s pass – and invaded the area to finish with force over the goalkeeper. Towards the end of the first half, he had another opportunity after a rebound at the edge of the area. He shot at goal, but the defender deflected the shot. In the second half, trying to intercept the opponent’s ball out, he hit Zakaria with a strong tackle and received a yellow card. At 11 minutes the second half ended with Modric coming on.
