Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over Valencia CF on Friday in an EA Sports LaLiga Matchday 12 match that was previously postponed due to poor weather conditions. The atmosphere was less charged than usual, with local protests shifting their focus to Peter Lim and his board ahead of the match.
On the pitch, a conciliatory tone was set when Valencia captains José Luis Gayà and Dimitri Foulquier presented Madrid’s Lucas Vázquez with a special frame containing an emotional photograph. The image, from Valencia’s league match against Betis, featured the Valencian Community’s ‘senyera’, which was previously communicated to Real Madrid after they were used in their tribute during the Champions League encounter against AC Milan.
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The gesture helped ease the tension surrounding Vinicius Jr.’s return to a stadium where he had suffered racial abuse from home fans in May 2023, marking a key moment in LaLiga’s fight against racism. Temporary fears aside, Real Madrid opened the scoring in the 6th minute through Fede Valverde.
The Uruguay midfielder intercepted a pass and shot from distance, but Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski easily saved the effort. Valencia reacted quickly with Hugo Duro, who attempted an immediate shot in the Madrid area, but Thibaut Courtois took good care of the shot.
Courtois was in the spotlight again in the 13th minute, as he brilliantly saved another point-blank shot from Dimitri Foulquier after a quick counter-attack from the hosts. After that, Carlo Ancelotti’s men took control of possession, but struggled to penetrate a strong Valencia defense led by new coach Carlos Corberán.
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Valencia then opened the scoring before the half-hour mark, albeit in controversial circumstances. There was a potential foul by Yarek Gasiorowski on Rodrygo Goes during the build-up to the play, but neither the referee nor the VAR deemed this enough to rule out the play.
The ball remained in play, and Valencia quickly transitioned the attack to the right flank, where Foulquier sprinted down the line and passed to Javi Guerra. In the box, Guerra shot with his right foot which Courtois could only push away, allowing Hugo Duro to score easily while Lucas Vázquez did not react.
For Madrid, only ‘Pajarito’ Valverde seemed to have clear ideas, going close to equalizing with two long-range shots that missed the goal. Vinicius also had a chance just before the break with a low left-footed shot, but Dimitrievski made a crucial intervention with a late dive.
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The second half started with various incidents from the start. Enzo Barrenechea lost the ball in his own half, prompting Real Madrid to launch an attack towards Kylian Mbappé, who managed to win a penalty from César Tárrega. However, Bellingham’s penalty hit the post.
A few minutes later, Mbappé scored after a beautiful triangle combination involving himself, Vinicius, and Bellingham; however, his goal was ruled out for offside by referee César Soto Grado.
The substitutions of both teams did not diminish the intensity, which was unfortunately once again interpreted as tension. In a clash between Foulquier and Vinicius, Soto Grado did not sanction the tackle, leading to a heated exchange where Vinicius was sent off with a straight red card after a header on the goalkeeper.
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Real Madrid, now down to ten men, showed resilience and capitalized on Valencia’s mistakes as they found themselves in the relegation fight. Veteran Luka Modric, who came on in place of Dani Ceballos in the 80th minute, imitated Mbappé’s disallowed goal but this time was in a legal position. After receiving a pass from Bellingham, the Croatian midfielder struck with his left foot to equalize at 1-1 in the 85th minute.
The visitors’ relentless quest bore fruit during extended injury time. Foulquier’s poor pass on the edge of his own area was intercepted by Bellingham, who quickly advanced towards goal and finished accurately against Dimitrievski.
This dramatic defeat in the final moments left Valencia with just 12 points, finding themselves 19th in the Primera División. Meanwhile, Ancelotti’s side have climbed to 43 points, overtaking Atlético Madrid and moving to the top of the table, giving them an early Christmas present.
Clashes with the police
Before the start of the Madrid-Valencia match, tensions flared outside the Mestalla stadium, with police clashing with fans protesting against the board. Starting at 8:00 p.m., a gathering of local fans sought to express their displeasure with Peter Lim’s management amid a difficult season for Valencia.
The LibertadVCF platform had called on fans to boycott the stands, but the match started at 9:00 p.m. with only the ‘curva de Mestalla’ empty and a few scattered seats occupied. Many held signs reading ‘Lim Go Home’ under the Singapore flag.
Although the protests against Lim, Layhoon Chan, Javier Solís, and Miguel Ángel Corona did not prevent other fans from entering the stadium, they caused moments of chaos, prompting the police to resort to heavy-handed action to disperse the crowd after invasion songs.
Minutes later, with the ball in play, chants of ‘Peter go now’ echoed around Mestalla, corresponding to a match that had initially been postponed due to the tragic weather events affecting the Valencian Community. This marked Carlos Corberán’s first match in charge of the team after the dismissal of Rubén Baraja.
Valencia CF vs Real Madrid at the Mestalla Stadium
