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Brahim Diaz has been allowed to operate outside of the spotlight this season, scoring and assisting at an impressive rate while Jude Bellingham grabs the headlines. But with the England midfielder missing through injury on Tuesday, Brahim took centre stage, scoring the only goal of the night - a magnificent solo effort - to redeem a sloppy Real Madrid showing, and secure a 1-0 first-leg lead over RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16.
The home side looked to have taken an early lead, but Benjamin Sesko's header was disallowed when the assistant controversially waved his offside flag. Madrid, for their part, had few chances - and put just two efforts on target in the first half.
But they didn't need long to get going after the break. Brahim provided the moment of magic, curling a shot into the top corner from outside the box after striding past three defenders. Vinicius Jr nearly added a second after 70 minutes, weaving past two defenders before poking a shot off the post.
The home side had their chances, too. Dani Olmo skied an effort from a tight angle, before forcing a neat save from Andriy Lunin with a shot from distance. Sesko also came close, but was denied by a strong hand from Madrid's goalkeeper, who also made another key stop in the final minutes as he steered Amadou Haidara's volley around the post.
It wasn't pretty, but victory on the road for Madrid is likely to be vital ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in early March.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Red Bull Arena...