Real Madrid Cruise Past Brest to Secure Champions League Play-Off Spot

Real Madrid secured a 3-0 win over Stade Brestois to advance to the Champions League play-offs. Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham scored key goals for Los Blancos. Get the latest UCL updates and match highlights.

Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Stade Brestois was not enough to guarantee automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League's last 16. However, the win ensured the reigning champions would enter the play-offs as a seeded side, extending their winning streak to five consecutive matches across all competitions.

The highly anticipated match between Brest and Real Madrid was briefly delayed due to fog enveloping the pitch. Once the game commenced, Brest faced a formidable opponent in Kylian Mbappe, who had a history of success against the French side. Mbappe had scored nine goals in 10 previous head-to-head meetings during his time in France, and he quickly made his presence known with two early chances.

Despite Mbappe's early misses, Real Madrid continued to push for an opening goal. Their persistence eventually paid off, although not without a notable save from Marco Bizot. The Brest goalkeeper denied Rodrygo with a fantastic save, following a pinpoint cross from Lucas Vazquez.

Just a minute after Marco Bizot's impressive save, Rodrygo finally beat the Brest goalkeeper with a precise, arrowed drive that found the back of the net off the far post. This opened the scoring and gave Real Madrid a crucial advantage.

3 goals ✅
3 points ✅

Real Madrid finish in the knockout phase play-offs ⚪️#UCL pic.twitter.com/soEJdNLdTZ

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 29, 2025

Despite the setback, the hosts refused to wilt under the pressure. Mama Balde's powerful volley narrowly missed the target, sailing over the crossbar just before halftime. After the restart, Bizot once again denied Kylian Mbappé, but Brest thought they had equalized when Ludovic Ajorque's shot took a deflection off Aurelien Tchouameni. However, the goal was disallowed by VAR due to a tight offside call, leaving the home crowd heartbroken.

The league phase is complete ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/8Ix7MvcqI4

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 29, 2025

The brutal nature of Real Madrid in the Champions League was on full display as they doubled their advantage shortly after the disallowed goal. Jude Bellingham started and finished a slick move, being picked out on the six-yard line by Lucas Vázquez. This goal gave Real Madrid a comfortable cushion, and Thibaut Courtois' fantastic save to deny Kenny Lala further crushed Brest's hopes of a comeback.

Any lingering hopes of a Brest comeback were extinguished when Rodrygo tucked home the rebound after Mbappé was again denied by Bizot. This goal sealed the 3-0 victory for Real Madrid, ensuring they would enter the Champions League play-offs as a seeded side.

The loss means Brest will have to settle for an unseeded knockout play-off place, becoming the first competition debutants to lose to both Real Madrid and Barcelona in the same season since Leeds United in 2000/01. Real Madrid, meanwhile, has now scored 20 goals in their five consecutive wins, but their slow start ultimately cost them a top-eight spot.