He real Madrid its firm step as leader was maintained by winning 4-0 this Saturday against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeú, on the 11th day of LaLigaand thus achieving their sixth consecutive victory since the debacle against Atlético de Madrid (5-2) at the end of September.
With hardly any effort, the merengue team showed its strength in the first half by leaving with a lead of three goals, which could have been greater if Vinícius (44) had not missed a penalty.
Once again, Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (19′, 31′ penalty) gave the white team the lead, joined by Englishman Jude Bellingham (44′). In the last part of the match Álvaro Carreras (82′) closed the win with a whip with his left foot.
Only goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala was saved from a soft Valencia in the back and without generating any danger in the goal defended by the Belgian Thibaut Courtois.
With this victory, Real Madrid consolidates its lead with 30 points, seven more than Villarreal (2nd), which also beat Rayo Vallecano (4-0) this Saturday at La Cerámica, and eight more than FC Barcelona (3rd) provisionally, pending the Catalans taking on Elche in Montjuic on Sunday.
“We started dynamically, with a lot of circulation and getting ahead. We were able to score more but, in general, it was a round game,” said coach Xabi Alonso at a press conference.
“Today (Saturday) many things went well, but we don’t want to relax. We want to face each game with the necessary mental preparation,” he added.
The nightmare for Valencia began when the VAR warned the referee of a possible handball by César Tárrega inside the area after a header from the Brazilian Militao. In that play, Mbappé and Bellingham had already complained about two holds.
The referee ended up calling the penalty, which was executed perfectly by the French star, who completely fooled the goalkeeper to score the first goal in the 19th minute.
Then, the one from Bondy, insatiable this season – 13 goals in LaLiga -, distanced himself from his defender to drill the red card (31′) after an assist from the Turkish Arda Güler, demonstrating once again the good connection between both players this season.
There was not much left until the end of the first half, which was being an ordeal for the Valencians, full-back Álvaro Carreras was knocked down in the area, which the referee did not hesitate to sanction.
In an unprecedented decision this season, Vinícius (45′), who has just started a clash with his coach Xabi Alonso for taking him off early in the Clásico last weekend, took charge of launching from eleven meters. But his shot was repelled by Agirrezabala.
The Madrid fans, who did not believe the visiting goalkeeper’s save, soon forgot about the Brazilian’s mistake thanks to Bellingham’s goal (44′) after creating space on the edge of the area to finish close to the post and achieve the third of the night.
Peace between Vinicius and Alonso
In the second half, Valencia still did not exist, while the whites tried but with less luck. Alonso even brought on less used players such as Dani Ceballos, Raúl Asencio and the Brazilian Endrick.
Vinícius, who publicly apologized for his behavior, was replaced by Rodrygo (78′) also in this match, but this time he high-fived Alonso instead of going to the locker room upset as happened against Barça.
With nothing left to play for and thinking about the clash against Liverpool on Tuesday in the Champions League, Carreras (82′) took off a missile with his left foot that entered the top corner, unstoppable for Agirrezabala.
“Mbappé is spectacular. We have to enjoy it. Let him continue scoring for Madrid, for him, for its history. He has a lot left to achieve. He is going to achieve it. He is one of the best in the world,” Uruguayan Fede Valverde praised his teammate.
In other matches of the day, Diego Simeone’s Atlético confirmed its upward trajectory by beating Matías Almeyda’s Sevilla 3-0 at the Metropolitano with goals from Julián Álvarez, Thiago Almada -both Argentinians- and the Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, while Real Sociedad beat Athletic 3-2 at Anoeta at the buzzer.
