Goals from Valverde and Vinicius helped Real Madrid defeat Villarreal 2-0 in round 9 of La Liga on the evening of October 5, thereby equalizing points with the top team Barcelona.
Real Madrid are under heavy pressure after their defeat to Lille in the UEFA Champions League. Coach Ancelotti’s team needs a victory against Villarreal to regain confidence in the La Liga title race.
Real Madrid used an attacking formation with the trio of Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe while the task of distributing the ball was given to Modric. Right after the opening whistle, Real Madrid pushed up their formation to attack.
Real Madrid’s pressure was evident in the 14th minute. Federico Valverde received the ball from Luka Modric and fired a decisive shot from distance. The ball hit a Villarreal player, leaving goalkeeper Diego Conde unable to block it, giving Real Madrid a 1-0 lead.
Villarreal also caused a lot of trouble for Real Madrid, notably Nicolas Pepe’s header in the penalty area in the 16th minute that went over the crossbar of goalkeeper Lunin’s goal.
Jude Bellingham also had a chance in the 37th minute with a long-range shot that went wide of the post. Real Madrid had the advantage in the first half and in the second half, the home team continued to maintain their dominance.
Vinicius Junior had a chance to score in the 70th minute when he took a quick shot in the penalty area, but the ball went just wide of Conde’s goal.
However, just 3 minutes later, the Brazilian star made his mark. After Valverde’s pass, Vinicius unleashed a beautiful long-range shot that hit the post and into the net, raising the score to 2-0 for the Spanish Royal Club.
Real Madrid also created a few more chances in the final 15 minutes of the match but failed to score another goal. However, the 2-0 victory over Villarreal at the Bernabeu was enough to satisfy coach Ancelotti.
After round 9 of La Liga, Real Madrid has 21 points and is equal with the leader Barcelona. The Catalan club will be under a lot of pressure when visiting Alaves tonight.
Line-up
Real Madrid : Lunin, Carvajal, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Mendy, Valverde, Camavinga (Militao 71′), Modric (Vazquez 90′), Bellingham, Vinicius (Guler 79′), Mbappe (Rodrygo 71′).
Goals: Valverde (14′), Vinicius (73′).
Villarreal : Conde, Cardona (Bernat 86′), Costa, Albiol (Bailly 68′), Femenia, Gueye, Parejo (Terrats 79′), Comesana, Baena (Pino 68′), Pepe (Akhomach 68′), Barry.
