News
DOM 03.01.2016
BBC
Rafa Benitez fielded the BBC, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo up front, and the attacking trio conjured a brilliant goal to open the scoring at Mestalla.
Benzema picked up a loose ball on the edge of the Valencia area and fed Bale. The Welshman backheeled to Ronaldo, who in turn flicked the ball back to Benzema, and the France striker fired low into the corner. It was his 12th goal of the season.
Here's how @Benzema celebrated firing us ahead at Mestalla! | Valencia 0-1 Real Madrid #RMLiga #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/WSoTkyQGGw
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) January 3, 2016
Valencia reaction
Los Che slowly came back into the game and Joao Cancelo missed a great chance to level when he ghosted between Marcelo and Sergio Ramos to head wide with only Keylor Navas to beat.
As the pressure grew on the visitors’ goal, Pepe brought down the ever-present Andre Gomes in the area. Valencia captain Dani Parejo stepped up and beat Navas to level the scores with his fifth goal this season on the stroke of halftime.
GOOOOAAL I 1-1 I 45' I Equalizer for #VCF, @DaniParejo takes the penalty kick and finds the equalizer pic.twitter.com/7wqK2rrYA7
— Valencia CF English (@valenciacf_en) January 3, 2016
Kovacic red card
The game appeared to swing in Valencia’s favour when Madrid’s Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic flew into a studs-up challenge on Cancelo and was sent off in the 70th minute.
Bale and Alcacer headers
With ten men Madrid continued to press for the winner. From a freekick wide on the touchline Toni Kroos curled in a ball and Bale angled a superb header inside the far post. It was his ninth goal of the season.
82' GOOOOOOOOOOAL by @GarethBale11!!! | Valencia 1-2 Real Madrid #RMLiga #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/7buMpGIfnB
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) January 3, 2016
Almost immediately, Valencia struck back to level when Rodrigo de Paul crossed into the area, forward Rodrigo got a touch on the ball and Paco Alcacer bundled it in the from close range for his eighth goal.
Frantic finale
There was still time for a heart-stopping finale with both sides coming close to grabbing a winner in time added on. Substitute Alvaro Negredo missed the clearest of the two when he was put through one-one-one with Navas, but fired straight at the Costa Rican. Down the other end Bale blazed over when well-placed and the players on both sides collapsed the ground when the final whistle went
Benitez’s side failed to make the most of Barcelona’s slip up, while Gary Neville was left still waiting for his first win as Valencia coach after a seventh game without a win for the hosts.
FULL-TIME | The referee blows the final whistle,what a mind-boggling game!-> https://t.co/qZfnaCJUo6 #VCFrealmadrid pic.twitter.com/r5x7Iw1EWw
— Valencia CF English (@valenciacf_en) January 3, 2016
© LALIGA - 2016