Madrid: Real Madrid warmed up for Sunday’s vital ‘Clasico’ away to FC Barcelona with a convincing 4-1 home win over RB Leipzig, maintaining their 100 percent record in the Champions League under Jose Mourinho.
After Thibaut Courtois made two excellent saves to deny Romulo and Christopher Nkunku in the opening minutes, Real Madrid took the lead. Arda Guler’s shot was initially saved by Maarten Vandevoordt, but the ball became trapped between the goalkeeper’s legs, allowing Bernardo Silva to score.
Guler doubled Real Madrid’s lead in the 52nd minute after Kylian Mbappe’s header left him with a simple finish from close range.
Mbappe scored Real Madrid’s third with seven minutes remaining, collecting the ball on the edge of the penalty area before cutting inside and firing into the far corner.
There was still time for substitute Yan Diomande to score against his former club. The winger, who moved to Madrid from Leipzig in the summer, struck a powerful volley in the 87th minute, two minutes after Tidiam Gomis had scored a consolation goal for the visitors.
In other Champions League match involving a Spanish side saw Real Betis beat Feyenoord 1-0 at home, giving Manuel Pellegrini’s team three wins from three matches.
Bayern Munich and Arsenal drew 2-2 after Declan Rice struck late to deny the German side victory.
Arsenal dominated possession early but lost Bukayo Saka to injury inside 10 minutes, with Eberechi Eze replacing him.
Martin Odegaard picked out Eze with a long pass, and the substitute beat Manuel Neuer to put Arsenal in front.
Harry Kane then created Bayern’s equalizer in the 35th minute, releasing Alphonso Davies down the left with a precise pass. The defender raced clear and finished past Raya to bring the hosts level before halftime.
Bayern completed the turnaround after Jurrien Timber handled Kane’s shot inside the penalty area. The England striker converted the resulting penalty in the 61st minute to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
Konrad Laimer missed a chance to extend the lead before Arsenal rallied. Substitute Viktor Gyokeres helped set up Rice, who finished from a tight angle in the 82nd minute to restore parity.
The draw left Bayern 14th with five points from three matches, while Arsenal remained unbeaten in seventh with seven points after dropping points for the first time in the competition.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa moved into second place with nine points after beating Viking 3-1, trailing Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference.
Ten-man Inter edged Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0, Club Brugge beat Lens 3-0 and Real Betis overcame Feyenoord 1-0. LASK won 3-2 at Sporting CP. Agencies