• February 19, 2025 2:01 pm

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Lille-Real Madrid-0: unbeaten run in 36 games and a mixed evening due to the return of Camavinga

Lille-Real Madrid-0: unbeaten run in 36 games and a mixed evening due to the return of Camavinga


Defending champions Real Madrid were beaten at Lille on Wednesday night after a lackluster performance.

The only goal of the match came from a penalty, with Jonathan David scoring after a handball from Eduardo Camavinga.

Endrick, 18, made his first Champions League debut on the night Kylian Mbappe was named on the bench.


Real Madrid’s extraordinary unbeaten run comes to an end

It had been 36 games and almost nine months since Real’s last defeat in a competition – a 4-2 extra-time loss to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey round of 16 in January – but Lille somehow made the unthinkable against Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Furthermore, this was Real’s first defeat in the Champions League since a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the semi-final second leg in May 2023.

The 15-time champions looked dull and disjointed against the French team. Mistakes crept into Dani Carvajal’s usually excellent play, Jude Bellingham looked frustrated and not even the introduction of Mbappe, recovering from a thigh injury, could inspire them.


Ancelotti tries to make himself heard on the touchline (FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Real Madrid will not be worried yet, but the next three Champions League matches will be against Borussia Dortmund, defeated in the final last season, then against AC Milan and Liverpool. They have already experienced mistakes, with away draws against Real Mallorca and Las Palmas leaving them three points behind Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table.

Announcement

Rudiger had two late chances – one cleared off the line, a save by Lucas Chevalier – as Real Madrid tried to salvage something, as they have done so often in this competition. And Arda Guler also sent a point-blank header straight into the goalkeeper’s hands. This time, however, it was not expected.


How did Endrick perform in his record-breaking first start?

Patience has been the watchword since Endrick signed for Real Madrid from Palmeiras as a 16-year-old in December 2022. The Brazilian had to wait a year and a half to turn 18 before he could join his new team under the regulations FIFA. Now at the Santiago Bernabeu, he had to accept a secondary role off the bench with Mbappe ahead of him in the pecking order.

The Frenchman’s thigh injury last week looked to give Endrick an opportunity for his first start, but he was limited to a cameo off the bench at Atletico in their 1-1 Madrid derby draw on Sunday.


Endrick on the ball against Lille (FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)

So it was a surprise to see the Brazilian from the start here, making him Real Madrid’s youngest Champions League starter since Raul, at 18 years and 73 days.

The youngest CL holders of Real Madrid
Player Age Year Opponent
Endrick
18 years and 73 days
2024
Lille
Raul
18 years and 78 days
1995
Ajax
Iker Casillas
18 years and 118 days
1999
Olympiacos
Vinicius Junior
18 years and 153 days
2018
CSKA Moscow
Raphael Varane
18 years and 155 days
2011
Ajax

The teenager was lively as usual, but couldn’t get control of the game. There was a nice run in the 19th minute with a straight shot towards Lille goalkeeper Chevalier, but it wasn’t much of a surprise when he was replaced around the hour mark after managing just one more shot.

There will be more opportunities for Endrick, who has already demonstrated his qualities with powerful efforts against Real Valladolid in La Liga and Stuttgart in Real’s Champions League opener. But Real fans will also have to be patient with him.


Mixed evening for Camavinga after returning from injury

This was once the kind of night that Luka Modric and Toni Kroos would dominate as Real Madrid starters, but times have changed. Modric is now more likely to be used off the bench at 39 (as he was last night), while Kroos’ decision to retire at 34 this summer surprised everyone.

Real Madrid have long had a succession plan in place with Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, but both have had to bide their time behind those two midfield greats. Tchouameni has struggled at times this season in the absence of Kroos, and this was Camavinga’s first appearance of the season after suffering a knee injury in August, ahead of the UEFA Super Cup victory against Atalanta.

Announcement

This was Real Madrid’s youngest Champions League XI in five years: 25 years and 247 days – and, at 26, Federico Valverde was the only player in midfield or attack aged over 24. Camavinga injected some much-needed energy alongside Tchouameni and showed some brilliant flashes in the first half, but his night soured with the penalty he conceded in first-half stoppage time – raising his arms from an Edon free kick Zhegrova.


Camavinga awards a penalty (SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images)

Whether it was unnatural or not was debatable, but it was cruel for a player who otherwise seemed to be enjoying his return from injury. A yellow card in the 59th minute and substitution in the 67th minute summed up a frustrating evening for the Frenchman.


What future for Real Madrid?

Saturday 5 October: Villarreal in La Liga (home), La Liga, 8pm UK, 3pm ET


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(Top photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)