They were also booed when Marco Asensio came on as a second-half sub. He got his second goal to whistle applause. Vinicius moved to the left and began to open. Rodrigo steamed from the right and ran across the ball to Valverde, who curled his left foot past Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Pulaski.
At least Valverde should be on the winning side. On a night when Madrid lost Karim Benzema in attack and Toni Kroos was left on the bench until the evening, it was good.
The halftime advantage was not deserved for Leipzig. Timo Werner found Christopher Nkunku with a goal in the top half of the first half and almost scored the opening goal.
He was played by Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois did the honours in goal. The combination between the Belgian goalkeeper and Aurelien Chouameny broke him, but the midfielder stepped to Courtois to save the goalkeeper’s knee a second later.
Ten minutes before the break, Werner worked his magic again and his cross across the six-yard box was headed in at the back post by Nkunku. There is no news of Madrid in the attack.
Without Benzema who is still injured, Carlo Ancelotti started with Rodrygo on either side of Valverde and Vinicius. But the front three held up well with Luka Modric dominating in midfield, with Kroos on the bench.
Rodrigo glanced a header wide and Modric sent the same ad ball from the edge of the area behind Gulacci’s goal. But there is nothing else.
Modric tried to take a penalty before the break, but Emil Forsberg had enough of the ball and, according to referee Mauricio Mariani, he couldn’t guarantee a goal.
Ancelotti brought on Asensio for Eduardo Camavinga on the hour which he saw as enough. Bernabeu hissed and mocked the incoming players.
Asensio was an unused substitute in Madrid’s second-half win over Mallorca. That, and the desire to continue in the summer, is not forgotten.
Changes take effect immediately. Played in and Vinicius and Asensio stepped up as Gulacsi saved the ball, but he picked out a subtle lob and his effort cleared the crossbar.
Valverde combined finesse and raw power to overcome adversity and when Asensio got a second to equalise, everyone on the Madrid side, even his substitute, cheered.
Elsewhere in Group F, Celtic was held to a 1-1 draw by Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw, before Mykhailo Mudryk equalized to give Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops the lead through Artem Bondarenko.
Highlights League campaign with a 2-0 win over Leipzig
Photo by: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno
Late strikes from Fede Valverde and Marco Asensio allowed Real Madrid to continue their 100 per cent start to their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over Leipzig.
It will be a disappointing night for the 14-time champions and defending champions until they continue their best form at the Wolverine and celebrate in front of the Santiago Bernabeu when they lose after netting in the 80th minute.
Instead, Asensio curled home the second in stoppage time after Toni Kroos curled a short free kick into the edge of the box. The win wrapped up Madrid’s six points from Group F and four wins from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Leipzig tested Thibaut Courtois early when Christopher Nkunku broke down the right and headed home from a tight angle. Rodrigo, on the other hand, struck at the near post.
Playing as a false nine in the absence of injured talisman Karim Benzema, the Brazilian striker impressed against Real Mallorca in La Liga last weekend, ahead of Eden Hazard and Asensio.
There were half chances at either end for Timo Werner and Eduardo Camavinga, before the best chance of the first half fell to Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger, who fired home from a dangerous position in the box.
Luka Modric collapsed under intense pressure in the area before the break, but his appeal left the increasingly angry Madrid fans stunned.
After conceding 16 goals in their last five games, the home supporters expected more creativity and manager Carlo Ancelotti took action by sending Asensio on for midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.
The striker was booed by some sections at the Bernabeu after expressing his frustration at not being given more playing time on the pitch during this season’s win over Mallorca.
Vinicius, who scored last season’s Champions League final goal against Liverpool, left the home side fuming when he was denied from long range by Peter Gulasci after breaking into Wolverhampton’s normally strong area.
Madrid broke the deadlock when Uruguayan midfielder Valverde, who was deployed on the right side of the attack, cut inside and curled in with a weak left foot.
It was his third goal in six games, following strikes against Celta Vigo and Mallorca, as the 24-year-old continued to show why he is the choice
