Brest, France – Real Madrid secured a comfortable victory over Brest with a Rodrygo double and a Jude Bellingham goal, but it wasn’t enough to secure an automatic place in the Champions League round of 16.
Despite the win, results elsewhere mean the reigning champions will have to navigate an extra two-legged play-off tie to defend their title.
Rodrygo opened the scoring for Real Madrid after 27 minutes with a skillful finish. Bellingham added a second goal in the 57th minute, converting a cutback from Lucas Vazquez. Rodrygo then sealed the win with a rebound goal.
However, victories for Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Aston Villa meant Real Madrid could not reach the top eight, regardless of their result against Brest. They finished 11th and will now face either Manchester City or Celtic in the play-offs. The draw for this stage will take place on Friday.
Brest, despite the loss, will also compete in the knock-out play-offs in their debut Champions League campaign. They finished 18th and will face either Benfica or Paris St-Germain in the next round.
