Success took a long time to emerge for the Madrilenians, trailing for a long time after Hugo Duro opened the score (27th) but the ‘Merengues’ snatched victory thanks to Luka Modric (85th) and Jude Bellingham (90th +5).
At the end of this match initially scheduled for November 2 but postponed after the deadly floods in the south-east of the country (231 deaths), Real leads La Liga with 43 points, ahead of Atlético (41 pts), who however have one game in hand, and FC Barcelona (38 pts).
THE ‘Colchoneros‘ will have the opportunity to take back control of the championship from January 12 during the Osasuna reception (19th day).
Since their defeat in Bilbao (2-1) on December 4, in an advanced match of the 19th day, the Madrilenians remain undefeated for four matches in La Liga, a symbol of renewal after a difficult start to the season, like the difficult adaptation of French superstar Kylian Mbappé.
Vinicius expelled
On Friday, the captain of the France team initially showed himself to be messy and ineffective, like his partners in the attacking quartet Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr, back from suspension.
After the break, Mbappé found more energy, obtaining a penalty following a scramble in the area (52nd). But Bellingham misfired in his run-up and shot, sending the ball crashing into the post. Four minutes later, the Frenchman thought he had tied the two teams after an individual exploit but he was whistled for being offside (59th).
As a symbol of Madrid’s wanderings and a certain nervousness, Vinicius was sent off in the 79th minute after a rather tragicomic scuffle with Macedonian goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski who received a yellow card.
Immediate consequence: coaching from Carlo Ancelotti who brought in Croatian veteran Luka Modric. A profitable choice since the Ballon d’or 2018 snatched the equalizer in stride (85th).
Contagious effectiveness with Bellingham who sealed the victory of the White House in the final moments, synonymous with supremacy regained at least provisionally.
