Braga 1-2 Real Madrid: Player ratings as Bellingham strike steers Los Blancos to victory

Real Madrid maintained their perfect start to the Champions League group stage with a tough 2-1 win away at Braga.

Rodrygo tapped Madrid ahead in an end-to-end first half, before Jude Bellingham struck from the edge of the box to put Carlo Ancelotti's side in an imposing position midway through the second 45.

That advantage would be halved almost immediately as Alvaro Djalo fired home a response but Madrid managed to hold on and secure their third European win on the bounce.

How the game unfolded

Braga were brave early on, comfortable in possession and searching for balls over the top of Madrid's high defensive line but, against the run of play, it was the visitors who took the lead.

Vinicius Junior's cross fizzed across the box and was steered into the back of the net by Rodrygo, who was all too keen to ensure he was credited with what looked like it could have been an own goal.

Bellingham, so used to scoring goals, had to save his side at the other end of the pitch this time, throwing himself in front of a volley from Al-Musrati to prevent an equaliser midway through the first half.

Madrid also needed the heroics of Antonio Rudiger as Braga pressed for an equaliser, while Vinicius looked dangerous at the other end but had some trouble beating the offside trap. On the Brazilian's third late run, he fed Jude Bellingham for a tap-in before the flag was inevitably raised.

The ball over the top was constantly on for Madrid, who looked for it often as they grew in confidence, but they could not make the most of their new-found dominance before the break.

Bellingham saw a fierce strike tipped over to start the second half but he would get his goal on the hour mark, calmly slotting into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

It took Braga less than two minutes to respond, however. Djalo, a Barcelona fan born in Madrid, fired in from close range after drifting into the box unmarked.

Ricardo Horta could have easily fired Braga level but his low effort struck goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and trickled agonisingly wide of the post.

Madrid had the ball in the back of the net again with eight minutes to go as Vinicius ran on to a long ball and slotted home, but once again, the offside flag was raised and VAR confirmed the Brazilian had gone too soon on yet another run.

The visitors had to cling on as the clock ticked down but ultimately secured a huge three points, giving them one foot in the knockout stages.

Real Madrid player ratings (4-1-2-1-2)

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6/10 - Rarely involved in the first half despite Braga's early pressure. Got away with an unconvincing save from Horta.

RB: Dani Carvajal - 6/10 - Played pretty much everywhere apart from right-back when Madrid got going. Got involved in midfield and attack with regularity.

CB: Antonio Rudiger - 7/10 - Led by example defensively, making a massive block in the first half to keep his side ahead.

CB: Nacho Fernandez - 6/10 - A little shaky compared to Rudiger but got away with it after Madrid took control of proceedings.

LB: Fran Garcia - 6/10 - Showed improvement in defence as Madrid were forced to weather an early storm, but was still guilty of switching off for Djalo's goal.

DM: Eduardo Camavinga - 7/10 - Thoroughly impressive at the base of midfield. Needed to be switched on early as Madrid faced some serious pressure and always seemed to be in the right position to snuff out danger.

CM: Luka Modric - 8/10 - A much-needed performance from Modric, who rolled back the years with a glorious display of playmaking. He was relentless in search of the next dangerous pass. Played in a more advanced role in the second half.

CM: Federico Valverde - 6/10 - Energetic but quiet. Played quite defensively to allow Carvajal to go flying forwards.

AM: Jude Bellingham - 7/10 - Spent lots of time on the left side of the midfield trio and was unsurprisingly a little quiet, although he still made some dangerous runs to ensure he got involved in play and took his goal very well. Appeared to tweak his groin late on.

ST: Vinicius Junior - 8/10 - While the timing of his runs wasn't always perfect, Vinicius was an absolute nightmare to play against. Played right on the edge and always wanted to run at his defender. Set up both Madrid's goals.

ST: Rodrygo - 6/10 - Put himself about and did well to get his goal, but wasn't as involved as Vinicius. Seemed to be determined to play out wide even though he was needed centrally.

Substitutes

SUB: Aurelien Tchouameni (71' for Rodrygo) - 6/10

SUB: Ferland Mendy (75' for Garcia) - 6/10

SUB: Lucas Vazquez (90' for Bellingham) - N/A

Subs not used: Diego Pineiro (GK), Andriy Lunin (GK), David Alaba, Toni Kroos, Brahim Diaz

Manager

Carlo Ancelotti - 7/10 - Very intelligent with his substitutions. Every move was made to counter a specific threat from Braga.

Player of the match: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)