Real Madrid has been in quite decent form in recent weeks. Just before Christmas, champions Spain They defeated Sevilla 4-2, thanks to which they jumped to the runner-up position, taking advantage of Barcelona's subsequent defeats. In theory, Ancelotti's team should return to play in La Liga only in the second week of January, like many other teams that play King's Cup matches at that time. Meanwhile, on the third day of the new year, Real had to play a league match against Valencia.
A completely crazy match by Real Madrid. They won by playing with ten players
All because, due to the November disasters in Spain, both teams did not play the 12th series of games as scheduled. Now they have been forced to catch up. The match was opened by the team playing at their own stadium Valencia. In the 27th minute, Hugo Duro sent the ball into the empty net. A few seconds earlier, Thibaut Courtois accidentally deflected the ball after a shot from one of the players football players Valencia, after which it went to the feet of the Spanish striker. The whole action was really smooth. The guests were clearly irritated. They immediately picked up the pace, scaring Valencia's defense. And they had something, because from the first minute Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were running in the attack line, and the team below was directed by Jude Bellingham.
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Shortly after losing the goal, none other than Fede made a promising long-range shot Valverde. The Uruguayan shot from outside the penalty area just over the crossbar. At the end of the first half, Vinicius wasted a good opportunity. His shot was saved by Macedonian Stole Dimitrievski. Thus, after the first half, the hosts were unexpectedly leading 1-0. – Real Madrid was probably restored to factory settings from the period when it did not look the best – emphasized Canal+Sport commentators. And we must admit that they were right. The winners of the last edition of the Champions League had huge problems with the mediocre Valencia this season, which was especially visible in the first part of the game.
A few minutes after the break, a penalty kick was supposed to save the guests. Cesar Tarrega tried to catch up with the speeding Mbappe, but at some point the Spanish defender nudged the Frenchman a bit too sharply. Jude Belligham came to the number eleven and simply overcomplicated it. After stopping and making a strange jump, he hit the post. However, it seemed that Valencia's goalkeeper had left the goal line before the Englishman's shot, but VAR completely ignored it. In the 60th minute, the aforementioned Mbappe scored, but the former PSG star was offside by just a few centimeters. As a result, the goal was disallowed.
From minute to minute football players Real Madrid were becoming more and more desperate. They wasted further opportunities, while Valencia tried to play the ball at all costs, despite the intense pressure of their rivals. In the end, the guests couldn't stand the pressure. Specifically – as usual – Vinicius Jr. couldn't stand it. After one of the actions, the furious Brazilian literally punched the hosts' goalkeeper – Dimitrievski – in the face. After viewing the entire situation on the VAR monitor, the referee immediately showed him a red card. Fully deserved. Such behavior is simply unacceptable. Then the Brazilian winger went berserk. His friends had to take him to the locker room by force. Apparently, Vinicius was the brake for his team, because Real, playing weak, first equalized after Luka Modric's goal, and a few minutes later took the lead after Bellingham's goal. The Englishman took advantage of Valencia's big defensive mistake.
A crazy, even ridiculous match ended with the “Royals” winning 2:1. Thanks to this, Real jumped into the leadership seat, pushing Atletico to second place. Currently, the Madrid team has 43 points, two more than its local rivals. Third place Barcelona collected 38 points. It is worth adding that Diego Simeone's team played one match less.
La Liga, Valencia – Real Madrid 2:1
Goals: 27' Hugo Duro, 85' Luka Modrić, 90+6' Jude Bellingham