Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was delighted with his players for their Champions League win at RB Leipzig.
Brahim Diaz scored for the 1-0 round 16 first-leg win.
Ancelotti said, “I have a squad with a fantastic attitude, immense commitment and quality. I was very impressed with how we defended against a team that will always make life hard for you at home. We could have scored more but we could have conceded too. It's a slight advantage and we'll have to make the most of being at home in the second leg, but we'll have to show the same attitude we did today.
“Leipzig are a good attacking side and they're well organised with their wingers coming inside, while they've got two very good and different types of striker. Keeping a clean sheet is great and it shows we did a good job. We struggled with the positioning of their wingers in the first half but we sorted it out later on. Even so, having to dig in was to be expected here.
“The team is in good shape. Today was a pretty tough test in that sense because Leipzig play with such intensity. We almost always played in a low, compact block because we wanted to ensure they couldn't make the most of the transitions. The team is fine because we have top quality players in that sense."
On Brahim, he also said: “Since his time at Milan, he looks more powerful, stronger and with greater conviction and personality. He didn't play so much at the beginning but whenever he's been involved, he's always contributed. Now he's full of confidence in his game. He scored a spectacular goal, it was incredible. Of course the goal was the highlight but he worked as hard as anyone. It was a tough, difficult game but the team was focused and they dug in until the end.
“The first thing I thought when he picked the ball up is that I didn't want him to lose it, and he didn't. Whenever he's filled in for Jude, he's done a great job. I didn't want to change the system and I wanted Vini Jr. and Rodrygo to play wide. Brahim took a knock on his ankle and the calf, they'll assess him tomorrow. I don't think it's a muscular issue."
