Jude Bellingham insists Real Madrid will be ready for whoever they face in the Champions League play-offs, declaring that the reigning champions are in good form after a commanding 3-0 victory over Brest on Wednesday.
Bellingham netted Real’s second goal with a double strike from Rodrygo as the Spanish giants proved too strong for the French side in Guingamp.
It marked a third consecutive win to close the Champions League league phase, a strong finish after a shaky start that saw Madrid lose three of their first five games. That slow beginning left them 11th in the standings, missing out on an automatic last-16 spot by a single point and sending them into Friday’s play-off draw.
Madrid already knows they will face either Manchester City or Celtic in a two-legged play-off in February, with the winners advancing to the last 16 in March.
“It was important to get the win and finish the group stage strong. I think we probably let ourselves down in a few of the games and that is the reason why we have ended up in the play-offs,” Bellingham told UEFA.com.
“No problem, we’ll try and face whatever obstacle comes with a better face, and you can see that we are definitely starting to click as a team in the last few weeks.”
Carlo Ancelotti’s side have now won five straight matches in all competitions since their 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on January 12.
Rodrygo opened the scoring against Brest just before the half-hour mark with a low shot across goalkeeper Marco Bizot, moments after having a header brilliantly saved.
With Vinicius Junior suspended and Kylian Mbappe not on the scoresheet—despite scoring eight times in his previous five games—Madrid still found their way past Brest. They survived a brief scare when Ludovic Ajorque’s goal was ruled out for offside before Bellingham doubled their lead in the 56th minute, finishing off Lucas Vazquez’s low cross. Rodrygo sealed the win in the 78th minute after Mbappe’s shot was parried.
“I think we overlook who scores the goals because we know that each game it will be someone else,” Bellingham added.
“Whether it’s Rodrygo’s two and me one tonight, or Kylian with three the other day, someone will always step up with a bit of individual brilliance, and the rest of us will focus on the organisation of the team.
“That is maybe what we lacked in a few of the early group games, but it seems to be getting better over the last few weeks.”
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