Against Ligue 1, Carlo Ancelotti’s team struggled to come up with offensive ideas, suffering a rare European defeat.

Real Madrid most likely had to lose a thrilling European encounter at some point. And that finally occurred on Wednesday night, as a lacklustre Los Blancos team lost 1-0 to a very strong Lille team, lacking any of their customary Champions League flair.

The home team put on a standout performance, controlling the defence, being clinical when needed, and occasionally riding their luck to defeat the formidable Spanish team. Conversely, until the very end, Los Blancos lacked motivation and ideas and were unable to generate a goal.

Early on, Endrick went closest for Madrid, scuttling through the defence before the custodian brilliantly stopped his close-range attempt. Lille also had a fantastic opportunity, but Jonathan David’s free header was stopped by Andriy Lunin, who replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois.

David did not make the same error at the end of the half, as Eduardo Camavinga handled the ball inside the box and he scored a penalty goal into the top corner.

Los Blancos put off making anything. It wasn’t until the very end that there was a rush of opportunities, with Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. both missing. After entering the game with thirty minutes left, Kylian Mbappe provided more offensive ideas, but Lille’s goal would stand.

These are rare games for Madrid. Usually, there’s the dramatic moment or the late goal. It just didn’t quite arrive this time.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Andriy Lunin (6/10):

In for the injured Thibaut Courtois. Made a remarkable save in the first half, could do nothing about the penalty, and had little else to do otherwise.

Dani Carvajal (5/10):

Far from his best. Made a few defensive mistakes and his final ball was lacking.

Eder Militao (7/10):

Prevented a goal in the first half with an impressive burst of pace. Was probably the better of the two centre-backs before he was removed after 57 minutes.

Antonio Rudiger (6/10):

A solid shift at the back – even if he did allow a few dangerous runs down the channels.

Ferland Mendy (6/10):

Staunch enough defensively, but very limited in an attacking sense.

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Midfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (5/10):

A bit too easily bypassed at the base of midfield at times. Didn’t win a single tackle. Much more effective at centre-back.

Eduardo Camavinga (4/10):

A much-needed comeback following an absence due to injury, but overall, the night was unremarkable. a stupid booking, gave away a penalty, and had little impact on the match. Not nearly razor-sharp yet.

Federico Valverde (6/10):

Never stopped running, but lacked his final pass. Disappointing.

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

Snapped into his tackles, and was always up for the scrap. Mixed otherwise. Some really nice flicks and dribbles gave Los Blancos some thrust, but he also was overzealous at times.

Attack

Endrick (6/10):

The kind of occasion befitting his first Madrid start. Never stopped running, almost scored a memorable goal, but also committed a few silly fouls. A promising hour.

Vinicius Jr (5/10):

Didn’t sniff the ball for an hour, and then tried to do a bit too much late on. A rare off-night.

Subs & Manager

Fran Garcia (5/10):

Brought in for a bit more offensive purpose at the break, but he was unable to provide.

Kylian Mbappe (5/10):

Didn’t look sharp on his return from injury.

Luka Modric (5/10):

Created a few chances, but was outdone physically.

Arda Guler (N/A):

No real time to make an impact, although he did deliver some teasing crosses.

Carlo Ancelotti (4/10):

gave Endrick the start, with Mbappe only able to muster a bench spot. But Madrid was impoverished for extended periods of time and, for once, could not turn things around. From his side, a rare European stinker.