JUDE BELLINGHAM MIGHT not have been on the pitch but his celebration was.
Bellingham scored twice at the weekend in the La Liga leaders 4-0 victory over second placed Girona.
But injury saw him replaced in the 57th minutes by Brahim Diaz who held his place with the lad from Dudley unable to play.
Diaz did him proud with a brilliant 48th minute winner.
He was like Diego Maradona as he picked the ball up, rode one tackle, and scampered between two more opponents before curling a shot home.
Not forgetting his teammate who he had replaced on the night he did the Bellingham celebration as he jumped and landed with his arms out wide.
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A great moment for him, a typical moment for Real Madrid who have lit this competition up like no others with their 14 triumphs.
Nobody has powered them more this season though than Bellingham.
A player who is the top scorer in La Liga, has 20 goals in all competitions and including assists has been involved in 28 goals in 29 games.
It looked like his absence was going to tell as well when in the first half Leipzig looked to lift the roof off the Red Bull Arena.
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They did just that after only 96 seconds and why oh why did the goal not stand?
When the ball was bounced back into the box from a corner Benjamin Sesko headed home.
He certainly looked offside which is why understandably the flag was raised.
But replays showed he wasn’t and yet with the quickest of calls the goal was still ruled out because there had been the slightest of pushes on the goalkeeper by the same player in the build up.
When I say slight, it’s like when you brush against someone in Tescos and apologise.
That was not all that Leipzig had to rue on the night.
Sesko had chance after chance to score but it was night when Andriy Lunin had a goalkeeper worldie night saving shot after shot.
Advantage Real.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
