On Wednesday night, Real Madrid defeated Braga 3-0 to advance in the Champions League.

Andriy Lunin saved Alvaro Djalo’s dull penalty in the Spanish city, denying Braga a golden opportunity to take an early lead. After 27 minutes, Brahim Diaz calmly converted Rodrygo’s cutback to give Real Madrid a one-goal advantage at halftime.

After halftime, Vinicius Jr. finished a well-worked play from inside the penalty area to double Madrid’s lead. After Vinicius’ lovely through pass, Rodrygo chipped over Matheus to make it three. No response was found by Braga.

What happened in the game

Champions League opponents rarely have greater chances to upset Real Madrid’s crowd than Braga did after six minutes. After Lucas Vazquez was penalized for a needless pull in the box, Djalo missed a 12-yard penalty that Lunin saved.

After bundling into Bruma in the penalty area with 20 minutes left, referee Halil Meler and his VAR team ruled no foul. Federico Valverde nearly gave Madrid an early lead half-a-minute later, but his shot hit the crossbar.

Braga’s early penalty failure was punished by Real Madrid after halftime. Ferland Mendy’s defence-splitting pass sent Rodrygo in behind the visiting defence, who cut back for Diaz to score from close range.

Madrid continued to press Braga’s backline, and Rodrygo’s shot was stopped by Matheus before halftime. Despite their best efforts, the hosts led 1-0 at halftime as the visitors regretted their early missed penalty.

Diaz’s quick feet terrorized Braga’s defense after the interval, with Matheus saving his shot and blocking his rebound, and Rodrygo had an attempt stopped by the Brazilian goalkeeper.

Madrid got a well-deserved second on 58 minutes. Vazquez fed Vinicius Jr. in the penalty area, who jinked on his right foot and sent a low shot into the bottom corner.

Rodrygo finished a spectacular counter-attack with a beautiful chip from Vinicius’ ball minutes later. Braga needed a miracle to comeback after the Brazilian duo put the game away.

Madrid kept testing the Braga defense despite slowing down, but no miracle happened. After a fourth straight Champions League win, the hosts qualified from Group C with three points.

4-3-1-2 Real Madrid player ratings

Andriy Lunin (GK) (8/10) saved Djalo’s penalty early on to keep Madrid in the game. The Ukrainian showed coolness despite having little to do.

RB: Lucas Vazquez – 5/10 – Bad penalty early and lucky not to concede another 15 minutes later. His comrades saved him from expensive mistakes.

CB: Nacho (7/10) – Solid but unspectacular, with less to do as the game went on.

CB: Antonio Rudiger (7/10). Rudiger, like the Madrid defense, struggled in the first 30 minutes. Over time, improved and Braga weakened.

LB: Ferland Mendy – 6/10 – Made occasional forward runs but didn’t help the assault. Well-defended yet rarely tried.

Toni Kroos, 6/10 Typical tidy passagework. He let Valverde and Camavinga do the work.

Eduardo Camavinga (8/10) He effortlessly glided past midfield challenges and dominated key areas with his physicality. A classy footballer.

CM: Federico Valverde—8/10—A box-to-box midfielder against Braga, charging forward to support the attack. Nearly perfect in a stunning show.

AM: Brahim Diaz – 8/10 – Madrid’s first-half most threat, stunning with his rapid feet and spins. Capped a fantastic outing with a lovely goal.

ST: Rodrygo – 8/10 – Silenced doubters with a great Bernabeu performance. Provided the assist for Diaz’s opener and gently dinked over the Braga goalkeeper after a great first touch. It was lively and caused visitors many issues.

ST: Vinicius Jr. (8/10). He was not at his best in the first half but improved. Excellent second-half goal and inch-perfect through ball to Rodrygo. Scared Braga’s defense.

Substitutes

Sub: Luka Modric (74′ for Diaz)—6/10

Dani Carvajal took over for Vazquez at 74. – 6/10

Sub: Joselu (77′ for Rodrygo)—6/10

Nicolas Paz (77′ for Valverde)—6/10

Sub: Fran Garcia (84′ for Mendy)—N/A

Unused: Pineiro (GK), Alaba, Bellingham, Guler.

Manager

Carlo Ancelotti: 7/10 Diaz filled the void left by Jude Bellingham with excellent performance. His Madrid team had a good night.

Player of the match: Rodrygo (Real Madrid)