The La Liga season started with the postponed match which was delayed due to storm DANA: Valencia vs Real Madrid. We have a new leader in the competition.
After so many months, the whites are back at the top of the standings, now leading their eternal rivals Barcelona by 5 points, currently in the grip of a sporting and institutional crisis.
Madrid overcame all the adversities in Valencia, including a red card for Vinicius, playing 10 against 11 and facing a few penalties not called, missing another that was awarded, not to mention a bit of bad luck…
After an intense start to the match, Valencia, boosted by new coach Carlos Corberán, posed a major challenge for Madrid. However, little by little, the visitors took control of the match, appearing capable of securing victory despite miraculous saves from Courtois.
Adversity struck in the 27th minute when Hugo Duro—a low-impact former Madrid player—found himself with a loose ball after a rebound from the Belgian goalkeeper.
The 1-0 score was cruel for Madrid, who quickly tried to equalize without having any luck in front of goal.
After the break, Ancelotti’s men came back aggressively against Valencia and quickly found hope, which quickly dimmed. Mbappé was brought down in the box by Tárrega in the 52nd minute, resulting in an obvious penalty. But once again, Madrid’s difficulties with penalties showed themselves.
Bellingham was the one who missed this time, scoring the team’s third missed penalty this season, bringing further disappointment to his manager. Ancelotti must find a definitive solution that does not involve the constant rotation between Vinicius, Mbappé and the Englishman, because it simply does not work. The Brazilian currently holds the best personal statistics.
-But rather than getting discouraged, Madrid continued to push forward. It was once again the Frenchman who found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the 60th minute, with Mbappé’s knee just inches beyond the defender.
After this last setback, the whites—dressed in orange that day—felt the pressure, and despite the substitutions (Camavinga and Brahim came on), nothing was going in the right direction.
It seemed the final whistle was approaching for Madrid: Vinicius received a straight red in the 80th minute after a VAR replay of a confrontation with home goalkeeper Dimitrievski. The goalkeeper provoked the Brazilian, who fell into the trap, responding by hitting him in the face. He could face 3 matches of absence because of this expulsion.
Once again, an epic comeback was on the way. Ancelotti’s team refused to give up. Modric came on to stabilize the situation, and everything ended well. The Croatian finished off a great action in the 85th minute, equalizing at 1-1, which even looked like a half-victory despite being numerically inferior.
But the Whites did not tire of pressing, and encouraged by the sight of 9 minutes of added time, they remained relentless, putting pressure on the Valencia defense. Foulquier was overwhelmed, leading to a free ball that his partner Guillamón misplayed, leaving the ball in no man’s land, and Bellingham capitalized on this gift, racing in to score.
Madrid will host the Magi as league leaders, even though they have a game in hand than Atletico Madrid, who will look to secure 3 points and regain the lead in their match against Osasuna at home. Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca had their meetings advanced this week due to their participation in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
