Real Madrid battle past Braga to stay top of Group C as Napoli defeat Union Berlin
Having recovered from a two-goal deficit to defeat Union Berlin in matchday two, Braga knew an equally impressive performance was needed against a star-studded Madrid side, who sat top of Group C with a perfect record from their opening two group games.
The hosts started well in the early stages with plenty of possession inside the Madrid half, but it was the 14-time winners who found the breakthrough in the 17th minute when excellent wing play from Vinicius Junior set up Rodrygo for an opportunistic finish inside the six-yard box.
Armed with the momentum, Los Blancos looked to press home their advantage before the half-hour mark, however, Vinicius Jr saw two efforts well-saved by Matheus in the Braga goal, as the Portuguese side kept the deficit down to just a single goal.
That provided Artur Jorge’s men with some encouragement as the break approached, and Ricardo Horta came close to levelling the scores when his goal-bound strike was superbly blocked by Antonio Rudiger.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side came flying out the blocks in the early stages of the second half, but Matheus again stood firm to thwart powerful efforts from Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga.
Despite those missed opportunities, Madrid’s persistence was finally rewarded on the hour mark, as Bellingham received a clever pass from Vinicius Jr before stroking a clinical finish into the bottom corner.
Undeterred, Braga pulled a goal back just two minutes later through Alvaro Djalo, who fired home after good work from Simon Banza - setting up a fascinating final 25 minutes.
Roared on by the fervent home support, Braga nearly found an equaliser late on when Horta was denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga, but that proved to be the hosts’ best opportunity of salvaging a dramatic point as the visitors held firm to secure a hard-earned victory, continuing their 100% start to the campaign.
As for Jorge’s men, they’ll be desperate to bounce back in the reverse fixture in matchday four as they travel to the Bernabeu sitting three points adrift of the top two in Group C.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Napoli edge Union Berlin
In the other Group C match of the night, Napoli beat Union Berlin 1-0 thanks to a second-half strike from Giacomo Raspadori.
See all the match stats and a full report here.
In the night's late Group D fixture, Real Sociedad also won away, beating Benfica 1-0 in Lisbon to move to the top of the standings ahead of Inter on goal difference.
You can read all about that match here.
