Carlo Ancelotti’s side also missed a penalty taken by Bellingham, who scored the winning goal after Modric’s equalizer. The Croatian beat Puskás’ record on an evening marked by protests and tributes.
Real Madrid beat Valencia 2-1 at the Mestalla on Friday evening, completing a remarkable turnaround in a match full of twists and turns, both on and off the pitch, linked to the rescheduled Matchday 12 match of the Spanish La Liga.
Regarding the match, Valencia first took the lead thanks to a goal from Hugo Duro (27′), and Vinicius Júnior was sent off with a direct red card (79′), but the capital team returned the situation with goals from Luka Modric (85′) and Jude Bellingham (90+5′) to secure the three points.
Before the match: Police intervention and tribute
Before the match, however, there was already a lot to report, for better and for worse.
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Outside the Mestalla, the national police had to intervene to control thousands of Valencia supporters protesting against the management of owner Peter Lim. According to Spanish daily Marca, around 8,000 Valencians demonstrated in front of the stadium before the match.
Inside, just before kick-off, Valencia paid tribute to Real Madrid for their help to the city and victims of the Dana Depression. At that moment, Valencia’s Dimitri Foulquier and Real Madrid’s Lucas Vázquez stood side by side.
It started with Duro and got worse with a missed penalty, a disallowed goal and Vinicius’ red card…
Valencia went into the break in the lead thanks to Hugo Duro’s goal in the 27th minute, and early in the second half Vinicius Júnior was sent off. The Brazilian continued to engage in a duel with the Valencia crowd and eventually received a red card in the 79th minute.
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After an attack from Real Madrid, Vinicius got up from the ground and, in a moment of frustration with goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, hit the Macedonian. After viewing the footage, referee César Soto Grado showed a red card to Vinicius, who became agitated and had to be escorted to the dressing room by teammate Antonio Rudiger.
At this stage, Jude Bellingham had already missed a penalty (55′) by hitting the post, and Kylian Mbappé had scored, but the goal was disallowed for offside (59′).
…But there was Modric (to beat Puskás’ record) and Bellingham
However, Real Madrid proved they had nine lives and, reduced to ten men and trailing, managed to turn the situation around. In the 85th minute – just five minutes after coming on – Luka Modric equalized, breaking Ferenc Puskás’ record. The Croatian became, at 39 years and 116 days, the oldest player to score for Real Madrid in official matches. The old record was held by the historic Hungarian, who scored a goal at 39 years and 115 days.
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In the nine minutes of added time, one of the regulars appeared. Jude Bellingham, at 90+5′, took advantage of a risky pass from Foulquier which left Hugo Guillamón at a difficult angle for a clean return to the goalkeeper, while the Englishman intercepted the ball and secured the victory for the Real Madrid.
With this triumph, Carlo Ancelotti’s team finds itself isolated at the top of the table with 43 points, two ahead of Atlético Madrid, who have a game in hand. Valencia remains in 20th and last place, with 12 points, after a match in which Portuguese midfielder André Almeida started (replaced in the 88th minute).
