Rodrygo netted twice and Jude Bellingham scored once as reigning champions Real Madrid secured a 3-0 victory over Brest in France in the Champions League on Wednesday. However, the result was not enough for the Spanish side to advance directly to the last 16.
Rodrygo opened the scoring in the first half for a Madrid side missing the suspended Vinícius Júnior, while Bellingham doubled their lead early in the second half, shortly after Brest had an equaliser ruled out for a tight offside decision.
Rodrygo sealed the win late on after a Kylian Mbappé effort was saved.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team had lost three of their first five games in the new, expanded Champions League, sparking concerns they could fail to reach the knockout rounds. However, they have now won three consecutive group-stage matches and five in a row in all competitions since their 5-2 defeat by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on 12 January.
Madrid started the day in 16th place, just a point outside the top eight, while Brest had already secured a place in the knockout stage and sat a point ahead of their opponents.
Other results did not go Madrid’s way, meaning they and Brest must now contest a two-legged play-off in February to reach the last 16, with the draw set for Friday.
Much of the attention in Guingamp, where Brest are playing their Champions League home matches, was on Mbappé, who was back in his home country.
The France captain was loudly jeered before kick-off and with every touch of the ball during the match. Despite arriving in superb form, with eight goals in his last five matches, he failed to find the net on this occasion.
Brest started brightly, but their fans were silenced when Rodrygo cut into the box from the left and finished low past the goalkeeper, in off the far post, just before the half-hour mark.
The hosts thought they had equalised six minutes into the second half when Ludovic Ajorque turned the ball in via a deflection, but the goal was disallowed for a marginal offside.
Madrid capitalised moments later, as Bellingham led a counter-attack and arrived in the box to turn in Lucas Vázquez’s low cross for 2-0.
Rodrygo completed the scoring in the 78th minute, securing a brace in consecutive Champions League matches, after Mbappé’s shot was saved.