With a simple 3-0 win over Braga on Wednesday night, Real Madrid moved on to the next round of the Champions League.

Andriy Lunin saved Alvaro Djalo’s easy penalty kick, giving Braga a great chance to take an early lead in the Spanish city. While the game was still going on, Real Madrid responded well and finally took the lead when Brahim Diaz calmly converted Rodrygo’s cutback. At halftime, Real Madrid had a one-goal lead.

In the second half, Vinicius Jr. scored from inside the penalty area to double Madrid’s lead after a well-executed move. Soon after, Rodrygo made it three by chipping the ball over Matheus after Vinicius’s beautiful through ball. The people of Braga couldn’t find any kind of answer.

How the game went down

Champions League teams that come to the Santiago Bernabeu rarely have better chances to upset the Real Madrid fans than Braga did after only six minutes. Lucas Vazquez got a yellow card for an unnecessary pull in the box, but Djalo missed a penalty kick from 12 yards out that would have put Portugal ahead.

After tackling Bruma in the penalty area 20 minutes in, Vazquez might have been lucky not to give up another penalty kick, but referee Halil Meler and his VAR team ruled there was no foul. After thirty seconds, Federico Valverde almost scored the first goal for Real Madrid, but his volley went over the top.

Real Madrid finally got even for Braga’s early penalty miss, which happened just after the half-hour mark. Rodrygo was in behind the visiting defense when Ferland Mendy sent a pass that split the defense. The Brazilian then cut back for Diaz to score from close range.

Before the break, Rodrygo had a shot that Matheus stopped well, and Madrid kept trying to get behind Braga’s defense. Even though they tried hard, the home team could only take a one-goal lead into halftime. The guests were upset about that missed penalty early on.

After the break, Diaz continued to terrorize the Braga defense with his quick feet. The Spanish player had a shot blocked, and then Matheus saved the rebound. Rodrygo also had a shot blocked by Matheus.

Madrid did score a second goal, which they deserved, on 58 minutes. Vinicius Jr. was set up by Vazquez in the penalty area. The Brazilian jinked onto his right foot and then hit a beautiful low shot into the bottom corner.

Soon after, two goals turned into three when Rodrygo finished off a stunning counterattack with a smart chip from Vinicius’ pass. The Brazilian duo played so well together that the game was over. Braga would need the most miraculous events to make a dramatic return.

The Portuguese team didn’t get that surprise, though. Madrid kept testing the Braga defense even though they took their foot off the gas. The hosts won easily and got three points, which was enough to get them out of Group C after their fourth straight Champions League win.

Ratings for Real Madrid players (4-3-1-2)

Andriy Lunin, goalkeeper, got an 8/10 for making an early penalty save that kept Madrid from going behind. He reached low to his right and blocked Djalo’s shot. The Ukrainian didn’t have much else to do, but he showed how calm he was when he had the ball.

Lucas Vazquez got a 5/10 for defending the goal. He gave away a stupid penalty early on and may have been lucky not to give away another one 15 minutes later. He made some mistakes that could have cost him, but luckily, his friends helped him out.

CB: Nacho got a 7/10 for being good, but not great. He had less and less to do as the game went on.

Antoni Rudiger, CB, Scores 7/10 In the first 30 minutes, Rudiger had some problems, as did the rest of Madrid’s defense. But got better over time while Braga got weaker.

Ferland Mendy, left back, got a 6/10 because he sometimes went forward but didn’t do much to help the attack. Strong on defense, though it’s not often tried.

CM: 6/10 for Toni Kroos – There is some typically neat passing throughout. He didn’t have a busy game, so Valverde and Camavinga did most of the work.

Eduardo Camavinga (7/10) as the CM He never put in any effort, gliding past problems in the middle of the field and using his strength to control the middle areas. Such a smooth and beautiful football player.

CM: Federico Valverde (8/10)—The perfect example of a box-to-box midfielder against Braga—rammed forward whenever he could to help the attack. Put on a dominating show and hardly did anything wrong.

AM: Brahim Diaz (8/10); Madrid’s biggest threat in the first half, with lightning-fast feet and turns that wowed the crowd. Finished off a great game with a well-taken goal.

ST: Rodrygo got an 8/10 for his effort at the Bernabeu, which put some critics to rest. Helped set up Diaz’s first goal and scored the second one with a beautiful chip over the Braga goalie after a great first touch. lively the whole time and gave the guests a lot of trouble.

Vinicius Jr. got an 8/10 from me. Certainly got better as the game went on. He wasn’t at his most deadly best in the first half. Great in the second half; he scored a beautiful goal and set up Rodrygo with a through ball that was just right. scared the Braga backline.