In a thrilling encounter, Valencia took on Real Madrid but ended up losing, despite the La Liga leaders finishing the match with ten men.
Jude Bellingham played the role of savior as he overcame the disappointment of missing a penalty earlier in the match, securing a stunning 2-1 victory for Real Madrid at the Mestalla Stadium on Friday. After the hosts took the lead through Huro Duro in the first half, Luka Modric equalized for Carlo Ancelotti’s men before Bellingham struck decisively in injury time.
Drama escalated when Vinicius Junior was sent off after punching Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, an incident that sparked controversy given historic tensions between the Brazilian and Valencia fans, who had racially abused him during a previous visit in 2022.
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Before Vinicius was sent off in the 80th minute, Real Madrid were behind. However, supported by Bellingham, who assisted Modric’s equalizer in the 85th minute, they were able to react to breathe life into the match.
“Bellingham’s performance was extraordinary,” praised Ancelotti. “Even after the missed penalty, which could have damaged his morale, he used it as fuel to deliver a great match. His late goal was a fitting reward for a brilliant contribution.”
Bellingham’s dramatic 96th-minute strike came after a defensive error from Valencia, allowing Madrid to open up a two-point gap at the top of La Liga, despite having played a game more than their nearest rivals. close, Atletico Madrid.
Ancelotti expressed his surprise at Vinicius’ red card, saying: “We didn’t believe it warranted a sending off. Yet the team rose to the challenge despite initial setbacks.” He added: “The first half was really poor, while the second featured a remarkable turnaround, even at 10 versus 11. These three points are significant, but we must avoid such extremes of performance.”
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This match was originally scheduled for late October but was postponed due to heavy flooding affecting the east coast of Spain. Valencia, in 19th position, recently brought in Carlos Corberan to replace former coach Ruben Baraja.
The home side started strong, holding off Madrid’s illustrious attack until their breakthrough in the 27th minute. A Dimitri Foulquier cross found Javi Guerra, whose shot was expertly saved by Thibaut Courtois, only for Duro to capitalize on the rebound and slide the ball into an empty goal.
Despite not scoring any goals in the first half, Kylian Mbappé won a penalty for Madrid early in the second half when he was fouled by Tarrega. Bellingham took responsibility for the penalty but unfortunately saw his effort bounce off the post after hesitating before touching the ball.
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VAR checks indicated that the Valencia goalkeeper had encroached before the penalty was taken, but the referees did not intervene. Mbappé then thought he had equalized by going around Dimitrievski to score, before seeing his goal canceled for offside.
Madrid’s problems intensified when Vinicius, frustrated after a challenge from Dimitrievski, reacted and was shown a red card. Against all odds, Madrid found the equalizer when Bellingham played a delightful pass to Modric, who did not miss his chance from close range.
As time ran down towards the end of the match, Bellingham showed his instincts, intercepting a poor pass from Foulquier which put Hugo Guillamon under pressure and calmly finished the action, sealing the victory.
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The goal marked Bellingham’s sixth in his last seven appearances, confirming the impressive form that has made him a fan favorite at Madrid since his arrival.
After the match, Vinicius took to social media to express his gratitude to his teammates for covering up his mistake with, “Sorry and thank you team.”
The drama intensified when Valencia’s Luis Rioja hit the post with a fierce shot in the final seconds, narrowly missing the chance to secure a draw for his team.
With this defeat, Valencia remain winless in La Liga since November and find themselves dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Duro, the scorer, remained positive despite the defeat. “I don’t care what my goal is; what matters is the three points and we didn’t get them. I would give away all the goals for a 1-0 win with an own goal for the rest of the season.”
