Real Madrid, who defeated Braga on Wednesday night at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, will be among the first teams to advance to the Champions League knockout stages.
Lucas Vazquez and Brahim Diaz saw their first starts as part of Carlo Ancelotti’s team changes, and they were successful.
Despite Braga’s bravery and attacking play, the home team relaxed as they gained momentum throughout the match, sealing the 3-0 victory.
The drama began even before the game began when Real Madrid goalkeeper Kepa pulled out of the starting lineup due to a strained muscle during the warm-up.
Andriy Lunin took his place, and after just four minutes, the visitors were awarded a penalty after Lucas Vazquez had brought down Cristian Borja in the box.
Although there had been an early scare, the score remained level when Alvaro Djalo stepped up, but Lunin in goal denied his meek attempt.
A few minutes later, Brahim Diaz appeared to have given the home team the lead when he fired a rocket into the net, but it was disallowed due to a foul committed during the build-up.
