Lille 1 Real Madrid 0: 36-game unbeaten run over and a mixed night ...

Defending champions Real Madrid were beaten away at Lille on Wednesday night following a lacklustre performance.

The only goal of the game came via the penalty spot, with Jonathan David scoring following a handball by Eduardo Camavinga.

Endrick, 18, made his first start in the Champions League, on a night where Kylian Mbappe was named on the bench.

Here, Tomás Hill López-Menchero analyses the key talking points from Madrid’s defeat in France.

It had been 36 games and almost nine months since Real last lost in any competition — a 4-2 extra-time defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey round of 16 in January — but Lille somehow did the unthinkable against Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

What’s more, this was Real’s first loss in the Champions League since the 4-0 humbling at the hands of Manchester City in the semi-final second leg in May 2023.

The 15-time champions looked drab and disconnected against the French side. Errors crept into the usually excellent Dani Carvajal’s game, Jude Bellingham appeared frustrated and not even the introduction of Mbappe, back early from a thigh injury, could inspire them.

Madrid won’t be worried just yet, but their next three games in the Champions League are against last season’s beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund, then AC Milan and Liverpool. They have already experienced slip-ups, with away draws against Real Mallorca and Las Palmas leaving them three points behind Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table.

Rudiger had two late, late chances — one cleared off the line, one saved by Lucas Chevalier — as Madrid looked to rescue something, as they have so often done in this competition. And Arda Guler also sent a point-blank header straight into the goalkeeper’s hands. This time, however, it wasn’t meant to be.

Patience has been the name of the game since Endrick signed for 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 side under FIFA regulations. Now he’s at the Santiago Bernabeu, he’s had to accept a secondary role from the bench with Mbappe ahead of him in the pecking order.

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

So it was something of a surprise to see the Brazilian from the beginning here — making him Madrid’s youngest Champions League starter since Raul at 18 years and 73 days old.

The teenager was his usual bustling self, but he wasn’t able to get a grip on the game. There was a fine run with a finish straight at Lille goalkeeper Chevalier in the 19th minute, but it was no great surprise when he was replaced around the hour mark having only produced one other shot.

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

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

Madrid have long had a succession plan in place with Aurelien Tchouameni and 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 campaign after a knee injury he suffered in August, before the UEFA Super Cup win against Atalanta.

This was Madrid’s youngest Champions League XI in five years at 25 years and 247 days old — and, at 26, Federico Valverde was the only player in midfield or attack older than 24. Camavinga injected some much-needed energy alongside Tchouameni and showed some bright flashes in the first half, but his night soured with the penalty he gave away in first-half stoppage time — bringing his arms up from an Edon Zhegrova free kick.

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

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Ancelotti said: “We struggled in transition, we tried to be aggressive and it cost us. We have to keep a cool head but we have to improve. There is a dynamic that needs to be improved. It’s not enough to talk about it. This match is a step backwards.

“The last defeat when we lost the derby was a fantastic wake-up call. Hopefully this can be a fantastic wake-up call.”

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

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

Tomás Hill López-Menchero is a Junior Editor at The Athletic focused on La Liga. He previously worked for ESPN and The Times. In 2022 he was named student sports journalist of the year by the UK’s national council for the training of journalists. He is bilingual Spanish-English and fluent in French. Follow Tomás on Twitter @tomas_hill